Now we're going to do a mindfulness meditation.
This will give you a chance to observe your stuff with openness and curiosity.
To help you settle in,
I'm going to ring the bell three times,
And each time try to listen for the moment that the sound of the bell turns into silence.
So when you're ready,
Finding a comfortable position and gently closing your eyes.
Settling in now and listening for the moment,
The sound of the bell turns to silence.
The sound of the bell turns to silence.
The bell symbolising a pause as you take a few moments out of your busy life to come home to this moment and home to you.
The intention of this practice is to spend time with your sensations,
Your thoughts and your feelings and urges.
To be with what is already here without judgement or wanting things to be a certain way.
Simply pausing to observe what is.
We're going to focus on different anchors throughout this practice.
If your mind wanders off,
It's perfectly normal.
When you notice that you've wandered off,
Just gently bring your attention back to the anchor.
Noticing that your mind has wandered and bringing it back is the practice of mindfulness.
So now settling in and bringing your attention to your breath.
Taking a few deep breaths,
Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
As you breathe in,
Noticing your chest expanding,
Lungs filling with air.
As you breathe out,
Noticing how the body softens.
With each breath out,
Letting go of a little tension.
Just allowing yourself to settle into this moment.
Breathing in and out naturally now.
Noticing that your breath is always with you,
Like a steady anchor in the sea of our lives.
As you have your eyes closed now,
You may become more aware of your other senses.
Starting first with sound.
Opening to the sounds around you.
Noticing anything you can hear outside of the room.
Birds chirping,
Wind,
People talking.
Just pausing to notice the sounds,
Ever changing.
Coming and going.
Now drawing your attention to the sounds within the room.
Noticing the little noises that we often miss as we busy ourselves with our day.
And again noticing that they arise and they pass.
And now moving your body,
Moving to your body.
We're often so busy,
Caught up in our minds that we don't stop to notice how we feel in our bodies.
Bringing your attention to the tip of your head.
Taking a few moments now just to scan your body.
Starting with your face.
Noticing any places where you're holding tension.
Perhaps your jaw,
Around your eyes,
Along your brow.
Just letting these areas loosen and soften as you settle into the moment.
Scanning down to your shoulders.
Noticing any holding or tension.
And again with each out breath,
Allowing this to loosen and drop.
And now bringing your attention to the weight of your hands and arms.
Resting in your lap or by your side.
Feeling your hands from the inside.
Noticing the tingling in your fingers and allowing them to rest.
And now see if you can experience your body as a whole.
Imagine your whole body breathing as one.
Expanding and relaxing with each breath.
Feeling your natural rhythm and wholeness.
No sense of effort or control.
Just allowing yourself to be here in this moment.
Nowhere but here.
And if your mind's wandered off,
That's okay.
It's perfectly natural.
Just gently bringing your attention back to the exercise without judgement.
And as you scan your body,
Perhaps you became aware of an emotion that's present.
Perhaps you have some anxiety,
Frustration,
A sense of urgency or interest.
And just noticing where this emotion lies in your body.
Perhaps in your chest or your tummy.
Your head or your throat.
Tuning into any physical sensations that this emotion brings with it.
Perhaps drawing a line around the emotion.
Noticing the shape of it.
Whether it's still or moving.
Hot or cold.
Strong or soft.
Fading or intensifying.
Allowing it to be just as it is.
Not trying to change it.
And breathing into this area.
Creating some space for this emotion in your body.
And just observing as the intensity changes from moment to moment.
Perhaps reminding yourself,
It's okay to feel this,
Whatever it is.
Like all things,
It will pass.
Noticing that this experience too comes and goes.
And now allowing emotions to fade into the background.
And instead becoming aware of any thoughts that are present for you.
No need to try to control them.
Just letting them come and go.
As thoughts arise in the mind.
Seeing them coming and going like clouds passing across the sky.
Your mind like the sky.
Your thoughts like the clouds.
Sometimes large,
Sometimes small.
Dark or bright.
But the sky remains unchanged by the weather.
Whatever thoughts there are,
See if it's possible to see your thoughts as events that arise in the mind.
Stay for a while.
And then disperse.
From time to time,
You might get caught up in the thoughts rather than observing.
When this happens,
Congratulate yourself for waking up.
Noticing that you've been caught and then renew your intention to observe these passing thoughts with curiosity and openness.
This is mindfulness.
And for the last few moments now,
Coming back to focusing on your breathing.
Remembering that whatever you are doing or whenever you find your mind scattered and dispersed,
Your breath is always available to you.
To bring you back to the present moment.
To a sense of stillness and peace.
Just breathing in and out now.
Noticing how you feel as a whole after this practice.
Allowing yourself to rest in this sense of awareness.
Just breathing in and out.
And taking a few more breaths.
And when you're ready,
Gently opening your eyes and coming back to the room.
Interactions of the mind The Experiment Tai Chi Mind West Interaction Mastered by H.
S.
D ink
