Hello,
This is Jennifer.
Today I'm offering you a meditation to practice sitting with yourself.
It's funny how simple that sounds and yet how difficult it can be.
Sitting with our thoughts and sensations in our body and learning to just let be whatever is here.
It does take practice,
So here we go.
Get settled in,
Whatever that might feel like for you,
Wherever you are.
Shifting around,
Maybe roll your shoulders or wiggle anything that needs a wiggle.
And notice if there's any tension you're holding on to.
Around your face,
Letting your jaw drop,
Around your eyes.
And you know your body better than anyone else does.
If you tend to hold tension somewhere,
Check in on those places too.
Where do you regularly find yourself tensing up?
Take a look around as you settle in and let your body know that it's safe in this moment to relax and take a rest.
Letting go of whatever you were doing before to arrive here,
To this moment.
Noticing your breath,
Where do you feel your breath as it flows in and out?
Do you feel it in your nostrils,
In the back of your throat?
And notice if you can feel the temperature of the air as it flows in and out.
Watching your breath with curiosity.
Noting the quality of your breathing.
Is it slow and steady?
Is it shallow or deep?
And can you see if your exhale can be used as an opportunity to relax just a bit further?
Letting your body settle.
Now notice the space between breaths.
There is a space and a pause at the top of your breath before you exhale.
And there's a pause again before you inhale.
Noticing that where one breath ends,
The next breath begins.
Watching the pause,
Watching the cycle.
One breath ends,
The next breath begins.
And there's nothing you need to do.
Your body knows what it's doing.
Now I invite you to listen for any sounds around you.
There may be sounds close by,
Sounds far away,
The sound of my voice.
And direct your attention to the space between those.
Noticing the space between sounds,
Coming and going,
Starting and stopping.
Watching the space and the gaps teaches us to be patient.
It teaches us not to grasp for what's next.
It teaches us that the next thing can happen,
Unfold,
Come into being.
And all we need to do sometimes is to be a witness.
We breathe in and we breathe out.
There is nothing to do,
No reaction necessary.
Feel what it's like to sit and rest and just be.
Pema Chodron reminds us to let our minds be like the sky and recognize thoughts and sounds and feelings and sensations as the weather.
And what do we know about weather?
Weather is temporary.
The sky is steady and present.
And a loving container for all that arises,
For all the weather that comes along.
Can you allow yourself to be a loving container and accept what is here right now just as it is?
Can you create a force field an energy shield,
A layer of witnessing life without getting caught up in the story?
Catching and recognizing thoughts without building a story around them.
Nothing to explain,
Nothing to justify,
Nothing to solve.
Just letting life be and watching it move along.
Nothing to change,
Nothing to do.
The practice of resting in mindful awareness helps to build capacity for emotions and thoughts.
It helps us to create space between something happening and the need to respond.
It shows us the way to be a witness of the pause.
Thank you for sitting with me today,
For taking some time to build this mindfulness muscle.
It's not always easy to sit still.
May you continue to feel into noticing what you experience with acceptance.
May you carry the peace and the quiet you found here with you as you move on to what's next.
And when you're ready,
Bring your awareness back to the room you are in.
Maybe first remember where you are and visualize the space before opening your eyes.
Come back slowly and bring some movement into your body and a gentle smile to your face when you're ready.
And a nice deep breath in and out.
Wishing you well,
Always.
