Welcome to this meditation that will help you find pause in your day.
Begin by coming into a comfortable seated position or perhaps laying down.
And first start to expand your awareness and notice what's around you.
Take your eyes off of any screens and slowly move your gaze around,
Opening your field of vision.
Notice the objects around.
Taking off those blinders that you might have on during the day.
And now choose an object to focus on.
Let it come into your field of view crystal clear.
Notice how when you hone your attention there,
Other things seem to fade.
They may go blurry and out of focus.
They don't disappear.
They're still in the background of your attention.
And now allow your eyes to flutter closed and shift your focus inwards.
Notice your breath today.
Inhaling to fill up and exhaling to soften.
Noticing how each breath is slightly different from the last.
And there are small breaks in the breath.
Remember to layer on a visualization on top of the breath.
Imagine as you inhale,
You're traveling up the side of a mountain.
At the top of the inhale,
You pause standing at its peak,
Gazing around,
Feeling a sense of openness,
Of inspiration.
As you exhale,
Keep that with you and travel down the mountain on the other side.
Inhaling to walk up the mountain,
Pausing at the top,
Feeling inspiration,
Gratitude,
And exhaling,
Walking down the mountain,
Bringing it with you.
Inhaling up the mountain,
Pausing at the top,
Exhaling,
Coming down the mountain.
Keep up with this visualization for a few moments.
Imagine releasing this visualization from your mind.
Come back to a regular breath.
Feeling the pause at the top of the inhale and the pause at the bottom of the exhale.
These moments in between,
There's something in these moments.
Like in our day,
There's value in the pause,
In the breaks.
Give yourself permission to find this pause.
Now let go of all control of the breath and just let it flow naturally.
Let go of all control of your thoughts.
Allow them to pass over,
To come and go.
Let them be as fluid as your breath.
Before we start to transition out,
We'll take three deep breaths to seal off our practice.
Taking an inhale through the nose,
Then a soft sigh at the mouth.
Again,
Inhaling,
Exhaling.
One more time,
Inhaling,
Filling up with energy,
And exhaling to let it go.
Taking whatever you need from our practice today.
Before you open your eyes,
Open back up your other senses first.
Notice the sounds around you.
Notice any smells that you can pick up.
Notice any residual tastes in your mouth.
Feel your body and its edges.
Notice the points that are in contact with the chair,
Or the ground,
Or your bed,
Wherever you are.
Now bring your awareness to the space behind your eyes,
And with a few soft blinks,
Open them up,
Allowing the world to come back to you.
Thank you for joining me and hitting pause in your day.
