Find a comfortable upright position and remind yourself of your intention,
The positive benefits for yourself and others.
And remember it's normal when you first start meditating to find yourself constantly lost in thought.
You might find yourself wanting something to happen,
To get a result,
Perhaps to feel calmer,
More relaxed or to clear your mind.
When these thoughts arrive,
Treat them like any other thoughts,
Noticing them and letting them pass.
Right now you're practicing letting go of thinking for a few minutes.
So gently close your eyes or gaze down and let your vision blur and know that you are sitting.
Take three slow deep breaths in through your nose and out through your nose.
Feel each breath go all the way down to fill your abdomen.
And as you slowly exhale,
Let your body soften and relax,
Pausing slightly before deeply inhaling again.
Then allow your breathing to settle back to its natural rhythm and observe where you feel the sensations of breathing the most.
Rest your attention here.
Each time your mind wanders,
Gently unhook and come back to your breath or a sensation in your body.
Now become aware of your physical body.
You might like to scan your body from head to toe.
Notice what you can feel.
Avoid getting lost in a story about your experience.
Simply notice the sensations in your body.
And each time you notice your mind has wandered or you've become distracted,
Gently unhook and come back to your breath or to a sensation in your body.
Remember there's nothing magical or mystical about your objects of attention.
They simply anchor you into the present moment.
And the more rooted you are in your body,
The more present you are.
Sometimes it can help to visualize your thoughts,
Perhaps as seagulls passing across a clear blue sky,
Letting them pass without needing to give them your attention.
Sometimes just one or two seagulls appear.
Sometimes there's an entire flock,
Making it hard to stay present with the breath or the body.
Adding the practice of noting those thoughts,
Oh,
That's a thought,
Or ah,
Thinking,
Thinking,
Can be a useful way of gently unhooking and returning your attention to your meditation object.
Breath,
The body.
Just keep bringing your attention back each time you notice the mind wander.
You're likely to find yourself in a loop,
Focused on your breath or body,
And then becoming lost in thought,
Noticing your mind has wandered,
Unhooking and returning your attention to your breath or to your body,
And starting over again and over again.
Losing concentration doesn't mean you're failing or that you're doing it wrong.
Noticing your mind is busy or that you've drifted is the practice.
When it happens,
Without beating yourself up,
Simply return your attention to your meditation object,
Breath or the body.
If you've become distracted,
Gently unhook and bring your attention back to your breath or to sensation in your body.
This practice is strengthening your focusing muscle and rewiring your brain to be more present in your everyday life.
Knowing your thinking,
When you're thinking,
Lays the foundation for having a different relationship with your thinking mind.
Instead of getting lost in the unconscious tune,
You're flexing your superpower muscle.
You're more awake to what's going on,
Seeing thoughts as just thoughts,
Transient lips on your radar of awareness.
Right now,
Stay focused on your object of attention,
Your breath,
Bodily sensations for a few moments longer.
I'll let you know when time is up.
Now take one more slow,
Deep breath and bring your practice to a close.
