The Art of Tuning In

It’s often challenging to just sit down and meditate. Here, you are initially invited to move with your breath in order to settle down and sit with a bit less fidgeting.

In this meditation, you tune into your body, breath and thoughts to help you return to the present moment.

Transcript

Hi,

This is Heather.

Today's meditation is about the art of tuning in.

It's much easier to tune in and find a comfortable seat while meditating when our physical body has moved a bit.

So let's do that together before we settle into our seated practice.

Go ahead and either stand up with your feet hip distance apart or if you'd rather sit at the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the ground.

Let's start by closing your eyes.

Allow the tailbone to feel heavy,

Descending downwards.

Take a few natural breaths.

Notice and tune in to how you feel.

No judgment.

And open your eyes.

As you inhale,

Slowly reach your arms out and up until the fingers are reaching towards the ceiling,

The palms face each other,

And the arms are in line with your ears.

As you exhale,

Lower the arms slowly down by your sides.

Again,

Reach the arms out and up as you ground your feet into the floor.

Keep the length in your spine as you exhale and your arms return down by your sides.

Do this three to five more times at the pace of your own breath.

Inhale your arms up again.

Clasp your hands,

Index fingers extend up,

And the thumbs cross.

Create even more length in your spine as your feet root into the ground.

Allow the arms to gently hug in towards your ears.

Notice if your breath has changed.

Try to relax your jaw and keep this length in your torso.

Slowly tune in to any physical sensations.

The next time you exhale,

Gently lean to the right.

Stay for another round of your breath.

As you inhale,

Come back to the center and exhale,

Lean to the left,

Staying for an inhale and an exhale.

Inhale back to the center and gently lower your arms.

Close your eyes again.

Come back to the natural rhythm of your breath and notice any shifts.

Let's begin our meditation.

Find a comfortable seat on a meditation cushion or maybe on a chair where your spine is long,

Feet are flat on the ground.

Or maybe today you need to lay on your back with your knees bent,

A conscious resting pose.

Let's start by dropping in for a moment.

Invite your jaw to soften.

Shoulders soften.

Body relaxes.

And if there are any other parts of your body that are gripping or holding on right now,

Invite those areas to soften.

Now that we've settled in a bit,

You can direct your attention to your body.

Take a moment to feel the contact points.

Feet on the ground,

Buttocks on chair or bolster.

Tune in and notice.

Feel and be aware of the contact of other parts of your body touching each other.

Palms resting on thighs or the back of your hands on your knees.

Now that you are aware and feel this contact,

Allow your legs to get heavy.

Let the pelvis become heavy.

Sitting bones sink a bit more into the mat or bolster or chair.

Feel the lengthening of your spine from tailbone to top of head.

Tune in to the physicality of your body.

Feel the natural rhythm of your breath.

As you inhale,

Feel the air touching the insides of your nostrils.

As you exhale,

Tune in to the sensation of the air leaving your nose.

Notice the cool temperature of the air entering your nostrils and become aware of how the temperature is a bit warmer on the exhale.

Now tune in to your belly or chest.

How does the expansion feel as you inhale?

Where do you feel the inhale the most?

Notice how the belly and chest deflate as you exhale.

Try not to create bigger movements with the breath.

First observe how your body moves on its own.

Tune in to the sound your breath makes.

Let the sound of your own breath hold your attention.

Become aware of the sound of your breath.

Notice it with curiosity.

Now let's tune in to the mental content.

You may notice the tendency of the mind to wander off,

To get caught up in the past or something in the future.

You don't have to fight that or resist it.

Just simply invite yourself back to this breath and this moment.

Pay attention to the internal narrative.

Finish one thought to completion so that you don't get caught on that train of thought and let it take you away.

Just deepening your breath to bring yourself back.

When a thought arises,

Which it will,

Recognize each thought as if it is part of a movie.

You're just observing.

Cutting into the angels and the demons.

Tune in to all of this.

How the body feels,

Which parts are in contact with the floor or chair.

Notice if any parts of your body are touching each other.

Follow the breath where you feel it the most.

The sensation coming in and out of the nostrils,

The rise and fall of your belly and chest,

Or the sound of your breath acting like a metronome keeping your attention.

Lastly,

The internal story.

Finish whatever thought arises to completion.

Observe it.

Don't attach yourself to it.

Notice how all of these things shift and morph on their own over time.

Bring your hands to prayer at the center of your chest.

Your eyes are still closed.

Take a deep inhale and sigh on your exhale.

Do that again.

Inhale big and exhale long.

Bow your chin towards your fingertips in gratitude for taking the time to tune in today.

Thank you for allowing me to guide you.

Namaste.

Reviews

Excellent Heather!! Thank you

Thank you! Loved it. ❤️

Thank you so much. That was lovely and exactly what I needed. I will be back tomorrow.

Thank you for helping me tube in today!!!

LOVE the progression from gentle movements to conscious stillness. Wonderful for beginners and the more experienced meditator looking to freshen their practice. Looking forward to more meditations from Heather!

I really liked this meditation. Would love one that’s even longer from you, also. Nice voice, guidance and pauses. 🙏🏾

Thank you🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻Loved the movement in the beginning before settling down

Perfect for me, especially the wee ‘settling down’ opening. I intend to use this regularly. Just loved it. ❤️

Fantastic meditation thank you so much

I appreciated the stretching at the beginning. What a great way to settle in. I also liked the “tune in” prompts. Time well spent. Thank you

Thankyou. I loved this meditation ❤🙏

Very nice balance of movement into stillness. Thank you! Namaste

Very helpful. Thank you!

Excellent! Great way to start the day!This short meditation has it all: body movements, breath, thoughts....🙏
Will come back to it!

I did not do the movement. However, this was still very helpful to continue to learn how to tune into my body and inner dialogue.
Gentle and kind directions.
thanks!

I enjoyed the movement at the beginning of the meditation. Nice guidance throughout with a space of quiet to really get into my own breath. Thank you.