Welcome.
Today we will take about seven minutes or so to center ourselves.
So essentially moving out of our thinking mind and into our bodies so that we can have a few minutes to see what's there,
See what we may be holding,
And then be able to respond appropriately.
So when you're ready,
Just find a position that's comfortable for you and that you can be with for the next several minutes.
So you can come to a sit on a cushion on the floor in a chair.
You can lay down,
Whatever that is for you.
If you prefer to stand,
You can also stand for this meditation.
So often in our days,
It's difficult to find a few moments of stillness.
So we will intentionally and deliberately still our bodies so that hopefully we begin to find a little more stillness within our minds and a little more spaciousness within our hearts.
So once you have arrived in a comfortable position,
Just begin to notice.
Notice how you're feeling right in this moment.
So that could be noticing any tension in your body that might be noticing aches or pains that also might be noticing that today you feel really good.
Your body feels lighter and there's a sense of freedom.
Just take the next few moments to notice how you are arriving in this moment.
And then let's begin to focus our awareness on our breath.
So the breath is usually a point of focus that is easiest to rest within.
So just beginning to bring your attention to your breath and noticing where you feel the breath most distinctly or most easily so that may be sensing the inhale and the exhale through the nostrils.
So,
Feeling the air moving in and out of the nose.
Or for you,
You may be able to feel the breath most easily with noticing the rise and fall of your belly.
So maybe as you inhale,
There's a sense of expansion.
And then as you exhale,
There's a sense of coming back to yourself.
And I often times will notice the breath by imagining as I inhale,
I am expanding a little more fully into the world,
Into the space around me.
So sensing my whole body breathing.
And then as I inhale,
I can just retreat back into myself a little bit more.
And I find that really helpful.
So if that feels useful,
Just imagining as you inhale,
Sensing your whole body,
Maybe extending out into the world,
A little bit further.
But knowing with each inhale,
You can come back to yourself.
You can take a deep breath to expand further out or less deep breath.
Knowing that you have full agency to direct the breath in the way that will serve you best.
So just staying with the breath.
And if the breath isn't helpful to you,
Which for some of us it isn't,
Then maybe it's a sound that you're hearing in your external world.
Maybe it's noticing the sensations within the body,
But whatever that resting point is for you.
Seeing if you can bring your awareness to that point.
Knowing that you will forget whatever that point is for you and your mind will wander.
And you may be thinking about what you're going to be doing next or you may be bored,
Whatever that might be,
Knowing that that is part of the process.
That isn't you doing anything wrong.
But when you notice that your mind has wandered,
Not getting angry,
Not criticizing yourself,
But just noticing it,
Maybe noticing what you were thinking about in the moment.
And then very gently,
Very kindly,
Just bring your awareness back to whatever your focus point is.
So in this way,
We are practicing being focused,
Attentive.
But when we lose our way,
We are then practicing being kind to ourselves,
Being empathetic to the fact that that is part of the human journey.
We forget.
And then how gently can we remember?
How much compassion can we extend to ourselves?
So we don't necessarily practice or sit in meditation to get better at meditation.
We simply are practicing the ways that we wish to engage with ourselves.
The ways that we wish to treat ourselves.
We're practicing being self-aware,
Noticing what's coming up for us.
How are we feeling?
What thoughts or emotions are we holding?
And then when we encounter those thoughts or emotions,
How are we responding to ourselves?
And when we can begin to respond to ourselves with more compassion and more kindness,
And be attending to ourselves and befriending all of us,
Allowing it all to belong,
We can then hopefully begin to bring that same practice,
That same way of being to others.
Just a few moments more.
And recognizing that this isn't always easy.
We can often feel resistance to offering ourselves compassion.
And so this is why we practice.
When you're ready,
Take a deep inhale through the nose.
Exhale through the nose.
Inhale one more time through the nose.
Softening with the exhale.
And then last time,
Deep inhale.
Full exhale.
And then before opening the eyes,
Just noticing what you feel.
Noticing any shifts from when you began to now.
And letting it all be okay.
And then when you're ready,
Just gently fluttering the eyes open.
Maybe taking a look around the space that you're in to reorient yourself.
If it feels good,
You might want to move the body.
And then seeing if you can take that practice of self-compassion out into your day.
So noticing when you become maybe self-critical or self-judgmental.
And knowing that that's part of being human.
Recognizing it,
Acknowledging it.
Maybe taking a deep breath to soften around it.
And then just extending yourself a little more kindness.
Thank you for showing up for yourself.
And have a beautiful rest of your day.
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