This meditation can be done seated in a chair at a desk,
In a quiet conference room,
Or at home.
So beginning by sitting in a chair,
Feet flat on the floor,
Either with your shoes on or off.
Back neck and head are straight.
Hands are resting on the legs or folded in the lap.
Simply closing the eyes and allowing the body to become still.
And letting go of the thoughts of the past,
The memories,
The accomplishments,
The regrets.
And letting go as well of thoughts of the future,
The plans,
The appointments,
The expectations,
The worries.
Bringing an intention to be fully present in this moment.
And as we bring focused attention to the various parts of the body,
Noticing as well any feelings of discomfort,
Tightness,
Paying particular attention to any tendency to tighten or push away the sensations.
And perhaps choosing to experiment with opening to the feeling and softening around it.
Sending the warm breath of an inhalation to any area of discomfort.
And noticing if the discomfort eases with the out-breath.
So now beginning by becoming aware of the breath.
Noticing the entire inhalation and the entire exhalation.
Notice this breath.
And if you care to,
Bringing your attention now to the soles of the feet.
Aware of the heels,
The arches,
The toes,
And the spaces between the toes.
Feeling the touch points with the floor or the shoes.
Noticing any warmth or coolness.
Feeling the pressure caused by the weight of the legs.
Bringing your attention to the tops of the feet.
The touch of the air or the clothing.
The ankles.
The fronts of the ankles and the sides and the backs.
The bones and the cartilage.
Being aware of the lower legs,
The shins,
The calves,
Muscle and skin.
Aware of the knees,
The kneecap,
The hamstring,
Cartilage.
Notice an area of soreness or tightness.
Aware of the upper legs,
The longest bones of the body,
Large muscles,
The skin,
The touch points with the hands,
Perhaps a touch of the clothing,
Whatever is there for you to notice.
Being aware of the hips,
The buttocks,
The pelvis,
The touch points with the chair,
The lower back,
And the lower abdomen.
And the middle back and the middle abdomen,
The internal organs.
The upper back and the chest,
Noticing the ribs moving with each breath.
Muscles stretching and contracting.
Being aware of this region of the body that sometimes provides us with that feeling about decisions.
Aware of the lungs and the heart,
Perhaps noticing the pulsing of the heart or noticing any warmth or coolness,
Joy or sadness,
Whatever is there to be noticed in the region of the heart.
Not engaging with what we're noticing,
But in this stillness and with focused attention,
Just noticing what is there to be noticed.
And bringing awareness to the hands,
Becoming aware of each finger,
The spaces between the fingers.
Noticing any warmth or coolness,
The touch of the air,
Touch points with the legs.
Aware of the backs of the hands and the wrists,
The forearms and the elbows,
The biceps,
The triceps,
The skin,
The shoulders,
The base of the neck,
An area that for many of us holds tension,
Perhaps pausing to send some warm breath to any areas of tightness at the base of the neck and noticing if the tightness or the discomfort eases with the out-breath.
Feeling and softening to the discomfort,
Not trying to push it away or tighten around it.
And bringing awareness to the back of the neck and the sides of the neck and the front of the neck,
Aware of the sensation of swallowing.
Bringing awareness to the jaw,
Slightly parting the teeth and noticing if there is tension released in the jaw.
Aware of the teeth and the tongue,
The gums,
The lips,
All the tiny muscles around the mouth.
Aware of the right cheek and the nose,
The left cheek,
Aware of the tiny muscles around the eyes,
The eyelids and eyelashes,
The eyebrows,
Softening and smoothing the forehead.
And bringing awareness to the right side of the head and the right ear,
The back of the head,
The left side of the head,
The left ear.
Bringing your awareness to the very top of the head,
The crown,
Feeling a sense of uplift in the upper body,
Originating in the hips,
Moving up through the back and the neck,
The head up to the crown.
Fully interconnecting the mind and the body,
Sitting with dignity,
Stillness,
And awareness,
Fully open to all the ways in which we are encountering this moment.
And bringing awareness to the right side of the head and the left ear,
The right cheek,
Aware of the tiny muscles around the mouth,
The lips,
All the tiny muscles around the
