Give yourself permission to press pause and take a few minutes out of your busy day.
Remind yourself of your intention,
The positive benefits for yourself and others.
This practice builds your awareness of how easy it is to slip into mind-wandering and operate on autopilot.
So sit in a comfortable,
Balanced upright position,
With your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting gently in your lap or on your thighs.
Imagine a string going from the top of your head to the ceiling holding you up,
Keeping your chin slightly tucked.
If possible,
Sit a little bit forward to help you stay focused and to reduce the risk of nodding off.
Then gently close your eyes or gaze down and let your vision blur.
And take a moment to know that you are sitting.
Then take three slow,
Deep breaths in and out through your nose.
Feel each breath go all the way down to fill your abdomen.
And as you exhale,
Feel your body soften and relax,
Pausing slightly before deeply inhaling again.
Then allow your breathing to settle back to its natural rhythm and notice where you feel the sensations of breathing the most in your body.
That might be around the nostrils,
Top lip,
Throat,
Your shoulders,
Chest,
Back or abdomen.
Just rest your attention on where you feel the sensations of breathing.
Then become aware of the sensation of your body pressing down.
That might be the contact with the surface,
The chair,
The ground,
Or feeling your feet on the ground,
Or your hands resting gently.
Feel into your body and notice any sensations that are present.
Each time you notice your mind wander,
Choose to make thinking less important and gently bring your attention back to your meditation object.
Either your breath or a sensation in your body.
The more rooted you are in your body,
The more present you are.
Keep bringing your attention back.
A normally busy mind often tries to hijack your attention.
It might remind you of your to-do list,
Demand you stop sitting and do something,
Or insist you're wasting your precious time.
It wants to be helpful,
But it's getting in the way.
Right now,
You're practicing the skill of letting go of doing and practicing being instead.
So outside your practice,
You have more choice over what you give your attention to.
And when your mind wanders,
Just gently unhook and bring your attention back to your breath or what you can feel in your body.
