Mindfulness Based Stillness Meditation

Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation is a way to increase our capacity to observe and connect with our body, mind, and awareness. Moving through different parts of the physical body, the practice then invites us to explore the 'feeling line' of the mid-body, to notice feelings and awarenesses that may be present.

Transcript

Welcome,

My name is Jackie and I'm delighted to share with you a mindfulness-based stillness meditation practice.

So come to find a comfortable seated position for your body,

Whether you're sitting cross-legged on the floor or whether you're seated in a chair.

Be positioned comfortably so that your spine can be lengthened upright and have the chest broad and open so that each breath can easily move through your body.

Have the hands placed comfortably in the lap or over your thighs or knees.

Allow your eyelids to gently close and allow the breath to find its own comfortable rhythm.

With this particular practice,

Let's begin by taking our attention to the field of awareness before the closed eyes.

We're guiding our attention to this space which includes the eyes,

The eyebrows and some of the forehead.

So simply have your attention in this space,

Breathe gently through your body and know that there is no right or wrong in terms of how we experience this field of awareness.

We're just simply noticing.

For some,

The space before the closed eyes can be experienced as a field of velvety darkness.

Others sometimes see shapes or muted colors.

There's no right,

No wrong,

No set experience.

We're just simply breathing into this field and giving ourselves the gift of time,

The opportunity to notice what we notice.

Let's now attune our attention to the ears and any sounds which are audible.

Begin by noticing sounds which are in your immediate vicinity and then expand the capacity to hear sounds that are perhaps more in the distance.

As we open our attention to our capacity to hear,

Let's know that it's not important that we can recognize or articulate any sound.

We don't need to know who or what is making the sound.

We're just simply noticing which sounds are audible.

There is the tendency of the mind to often want to label sound as good or bad,

Nice or not.

Let's see if we can practice in this moment of just observing sound without any mental commentary,

Without any judgment or critique.

Just noticing sounds that are audible to us in this moment.

Let's now draw the attention to the breath and without altering the breath in any way,

Just simply notice the flow of breath as it comes into your body and the flow of breath as it moves out from your body,

Encouraging the mind to be present in observing the breath.

We'll now come to check in with what is commonly termed the four access points of the body.

So let's begin by taking our attention down into the feet and just notice for a moment the soles of the feet,

The tops of the feet,

The toes and the ankles.

Just notice what sensations,

If any,

You can feel in the feet in this moment.

Notice whether some parts of the feet are warm or some parts of the feet are cool.

Do the feet feel entirely one temperature or is there some variation?

Do the feet feel comfortable or uncomfortable?

Is there a hardness or a softness?

Is there anything at all you notice in this moment about the feet?

Just observing,

Simply noticing.

Let us now take our attention into the hands.

Notice the hands,

Notice the sensations.

Do the hands feel relaxed and soft or is there tension or tightness?

Do the hands feel warm or cold or is there any temperature variation?

Is there tingling,

Tightness?

Is there some other sensation that you notice?

Again no expectation that we'll necessarily notice anything in particular but we're simply attuning to the hands and giving ourselves this opportunity to check in.

Taking the attention now into the shoulder regions.

And again let's notice the shoulder joints,

The backs of the shoulders,

The front region of the shoulders and the muscles in the tops of the shoulders that ease into the base of the neck.

Breathing into your shoulder joints and simply notice what you notice.

Are the shoulders comfortable or uncomfortable?

Is there any tightness or hardness?

Is there ease,

Openness,

Softness?

Is there some other sensation that you observe?

Breathing into the shoulders and noticing what you notice.

Let's now take the attention to the entirety of the face.

Noticing all of the muscles of the face without judgment,

Without critique.

Simply checking in and notice what we notice in this moment.

Once again connecting to the flow of breath.

And let's now come to catch the next breath in and let's journey through what's termed the midline of the body.

That space which moves from the throat,

The heart,

The belly.

That center space.

We have our mind for thinking,

Analyzing,

Critiquing.

And this midline of the body,

Its role is to do with feeling and interpreting.

So let's explore various points along this midline and let's begin with the space within the throat.

Simply guide your attention to the space within the throat center and breathe into this region of the body.

Notice whether the throat feels clear and open or whether it feels constricted or tight in any way.

Breathe into the throat space and just notice what sensations,

If any,

Are there for you in this moment.

From the throat space let's now journey down into the region of the heart and the chest.

Begin by taking a few conscious breaths into the chest and the heart region.

And as we practice opening our awareness to different parts of the body,

Let's now take in any sensations or awareness that come from the heart and chest region.

Notice for yourself,

Does the heart region feel open and expansive?

Is there any congestion or tightness?

Does it feel hard or soft?

Is there any tingling or pulsing or any other sensation?

There's no right,

No wrong,

No expected experience.

The experience and the observation is entirely our own.

We're simply bringing an attention of curiosity into the heart and the chest space,

An opportunity to notice.

From here let's now take the attention down into the area just above the navel and below the lower ribs.

With an attitude of curiosity as we breathe into this space,

Let's again come to notice what we notice.

Do the muscles in this region feel tight or constricted?

Are they soft,

Open or expansive?

Is there tingling or butterflies?

Is there some other sensation that you can identify?

Sometimes we notice sensations and we can articulate what they are.

Other times there may be no discernible sensation at all.

We have no expectation,

No right,

No wrong,

Just our own experience in this moment.

Each continued breath being guided into the upper belly space,

Just below the ribs.

And then taking the attention now into the lower belly space.

That space just underneath the navel and in the same fashion,

Just noticing.

Are the muscles soft and at ease?

Is there any tension or tightness?

Is there some other feeling that you can discern?

Moving into the lower belly,

Noticing what you notice.

From here,

Let's open our attention to the entirety of the midline or the feeling line within the body.

Open your attention to take in the throat,

The chest,

The upper belly and the lower belly.

And let's breathe into the entirety of this feeling line.

It might be that you can breathe into the entirety of this line,

Sharing your breath and your attention with all four regions.

Or it might be that one particular area calls your attention more strongly.

If you find this to be the case,

Then go with it.

If there is a stronger sensation in one of these areas,

Focus your attention there.

Moving into the feeling line,

Noticing what you notice.

If the mind becomes distracted,

At the point that you become aware of that,

Simply guide it back to the feeling line.

Return again to breathing steadily and experiencing whatever sensation is present in this moment.

Thank you.

Thank you.

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