Hey there and welcome to your practice.
Because that's what this is,
Really.
It's a practice.
And it's a lot like going to the gym.
The first few times you lift a weight,
You won't see any drastic changes.
But doing the same thing again and again over time helps you build a muscle.
It's the same with meditation.
Each time you choose to come back to your breath after being distracted,
Which is completely normal by the way,
Is like completing a movement in the gym.
It may not feel like much at the time,
But the compounding effect over time leads to a more significant change that wouldn't be possible without all of the smaller movements that came before it.
And so,
It's in the moments of distraction that you can practice meditation.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable seat.
Keep your spine straight and keep your chin tucked.
Begin to inhale and exhale.
Deeper,
Inhale.
And exhale.
This time only through your nose.
Inhale and exhale.
On your inhale,
Breathe into your belly.
Breathe all the way down.
And release.
On your next inhale,
Breathe into your belly.
Then breathe into your lungs so that the air pushes against the rib cage.
Breathe into your chest and release.
And again,
Breathe into your belly.
Breathe into your lungs.
Breathe into your chest.
And release.
Continue like this and I'll let you know when it's time to stop.
If a thought wanders in and you begin to feel distracted,
Use your distraction as an opportunity to practice coming back to your breath.
Now let go of any conscious control of your breath.
Allow it to return to a natural rhythm.
And on the screen of your mind,
Begin to see clouds passing.
Allow them to drift in,
In as many variations as there are.
Some bigger,
Some smaller.
See them come in pairs and see them come alone.
Notice if they are bright.
Notice if they are grey.
Notice the edges.
Are they jagged or are they smooth?
Now,
Allow your thoughts to take form as clouds.
And see if you can remain in this seat of the observer without judging the thoughts,
Without making them mean something about you as a person.
Allow them to drift in and out and remain in the seat of the observer.
From there,
Watch the clouds go by in all of their variations.
Settle into your awareness,
Your awareness of your thoughts,
Into that part of yourself that is never changing,
That experiences the mind thinking.
Begin to come back.
Allow some movement in your fingers,
In your toes,
And thank yourself for showing up.
And when we practice in this way and fully observe our thoughts,
We become more equanimous or even-minded and that lends itself to feeling more calm,
To feeling more grounded.
And we practice here for your life out there.
My name is Gina.
Thank you for joining me.
