Today we are going to have a meditation practice focused on noticing what's good.
I like to call this a savoring practice and savoring simply means noticing a positive experience and staying with it a little longer than we normally might.
You know,
As the saying goes,
Where your attention goes,
Your energy flows.
I wanna name right at the beginning that this is not forced positivity.
This is not good vibes only.
We are not pretending that everything is fine.
We're not going to ignore stress,
Grief,
Uncertainty,
Frustration,
Or anything difficult in your life right now.
All of those things can be true.
This practice is just about remembering that those things are rarely the only things that are true right now.
And if this feels like something that happens to you often,
You're not alone.
Psychologists have seen this tendency.
There's a metaphor that says that our brains are like Velcro for negative experiences,
I.
E.
Sticky,
And like Teflon for positive ones,
Meaning that nonstick kind of slippery surface.
Put another way,
Our minds are very good at noticing problems.
That email you haven't answered,
The conversation that didn't go well,
The deadline coming up,
The thing that could go wrong.
And that is so useful for survival.
That helps us anticipate,
Protect ourselves and others,
Solve problems.
And it can also mean that good experiences move through our awareness very quickly.
So maybe it's a smile that someone sends our way,
Maybe when we finish something difficult,
Or even if we have just a really great cup of coffee.
The mind almost immediately moves on.
So today,
I want you to think of your attention like a spotlight,
Especially in demanding work when your spotlight gets pulled towards problems,
Risks,
Unfinished pieces.
The opposite is what we're going to practice today,
And this is the savoring practice of intentionally moving the spotlight toward something that is good.
And leaving it there for an extra few moments.
Nothing else disappears.
We're simply widening what gets illuminated.
So you can think of this as a kind of brain training.
The more often we pause to register positive experiences,
The easier they can become to notice.
So today we're going to practice paying attention towards something pleasant.
And letting ourselves stay there as long as we can to actually register it.
Not manufacturing happiness,
Just noticing what's already there.
So.
I invite you now to get comfortable.
See if you can soften your gaze.
Or close your eyes.
And let your body settle into whatever is supporting you.
Feeling the contact between your body and the chair.
Feeling your feet on the floor.
And your hands wherever they're resting.
And I invite you to take a slow breath in.
And a slower breath out.
On the next inhale,
Breathe in through your nose.
And breathe out through your mouth.
Give yourself two more deep breaths like that.
And keeping with these intentional breaths.
Notice the temperature around you.
Notice the sounds.
Notice the feeling of the breath moving through your body.
Notice what happens to your heart on that long exhale.
And I invite you to notice.
Is there anything in this moment that is okay?
Maybe the chair is comfortable.
Maybe there's some warmth in your body and it feels good.
Or maybe you have no congestion and breathing feels really easy.
Doesn't have to be big.
Just see if you can notice a few things that feel OK.
And see if you can invite yourself for these next few minutes of practice together.
To be here.
To be fully present to this mindfulness training,
This practice.
And now I invite you to bring to mind one moment.
From this past week that felt good.
Doesn't need to be important or impressive.
Maybe you laughed or someone was kind to you or something went better than expected.
And bring your awareness to that moment.
And if you're having a hard time thinking of something,
Consider maybe you ate something delicious or noticed something beautiful out a window.
Maybe it was a time you felt really capable or connected or relieved or comfortable.
And let one moment just come to your attention.
It can be small.
And see if you can picture the scene in detail.
In your mind's eye.
Where were you?
What was happening?
What do you remember seeing or hearing or tasting?
And if your mind wanders,
I invite you to bring it gently back to this moment.
Of goodness.
See if you can keep your mind focused on this moment and notice what happens in your physical body as you remember this.
Feel a warmth or a softening.
Maybe you feel a little energy.
Or you feel compelled to smile.
Or maybe you don't feel much and that's okay.
There's no particular feeling you need to create.
Just notice what's there when you savor this moment.
And staying with this pleasant part of your experience for another breath.
And another.
See if you can imagine it soaking into your body.
Or maybe.
.
.
Creating a core memory in your brain.
Let yourself linger in it and see if you can silently name to yourself what exactly made this moment so good.
Maybe it was connection or beauty or accomplishment,
Play.
Belonging.
Something else.
What made this moment so good?
And let yourself just simply appreciate that this happened.
You got to experience that moment.
This is savoring.
Giving these positive experiences just a little more attention and letting them land.
And if your mind moves towards a problem or a task,
Just notice it gently and then return to a positive memory.
Not because the problem doesn't matter.
But simply because for these few moments you are practicing a savoring attention.
Now I invite you to let that particular memory fade.
And see if you can.
Widen the lens of your awareness pulling out and almost looking down at your life.
Maybe from above.
Or from the outside.
And thinking about how it is right now,
Your life.
Not the ideal version,
Just this version.
And thinking to yourself,
What is good in my life?
That I don't often stop to notice.
What is good in my life that I don't often stop to notice?
Maybe it's a person or a friendship.
A place.
Maybe it's something your body allows you to do.
Maybe it's work you care about or music you love or a comfortable bed.
Something you've learned,
Maybe something that's easier now than it used to be.
What's something very ordinary that you would really miss if it were gone?
And there's no need to force gratitude here.
Just notice what comes.
And if something does arise,
Allow yourself to stay with it for a few breaths.
Savor the feeling.
Of this in your body.
Maybe imagine that you're from another planet looking down on your life now.
Is there any source of awe or wonder?
That comes as you look upon your life.
It could be something big or it could be something small.
Just the fact that your arm fits perfectly in the sleeve of your shirt.
Pretty wonderful.
Giving yourself three more breaths to savor.
All of the goodness that you have been able to recognize in your life right now.
Thank you.
Seeing if you can let those.
Good memories,
Good memories.
Components of your life fill you up.
Ludding them with the spotlight of your attention.
Thank you very much.
And taking a deep breath in through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
Letting that go.
Dialing back the spotlight.
And now one last visualization to help you anchor this in for your week ahead.
I invite you to imagine yourself moving through the next few days.
Not searching for some extraordinary moment,
Just living your normal life.
And imagine that your attention is a little more available to notice what is good.
When it appears.
What would it look like if you really savored a good cup of coffee?
How would you look soaking in a beam of sunlight coming in through your window?
How do you see yourself relishing in the joy of finishing a project?
What could that look like for you?
See if you can imagine yourself laughing.
Can you visualize yourself in a moment where your body feels comfort?
Really feels the comfort.
Imagining yourself.
Savoring a song you really love.
Can you see yourself?
Enjoying that moment when you crawl into bed at the end of a long day.
What would it feel like to really notice how good that feels?
Imagine pausing.
Just for a couple breaths to really see it and feel it and let yourself linger.
And can you say to yourself,
This is good?
Notice what shifts for you inside with that acknowledgement.
Maybe choose one small thing in the coming week that you want to remember to savor.
Something you already know will probably happen.
And picture yourself being there for it.
Noticing when it's happening and really letting it have a few seconds of your full savoring attention.
I don't get that a lot with technology.
And a deep breath in.
And a deeper breath out.
Letting that go and trusting that the practice that we experienced today will help us with our savoring in the future.
Feel your body supported.
Letting your eyes open and noticing the room around you.
Taking one full breath in.
And slow breath out.
You kind of remembering that this.
Is not about convincing yourself that everything is good.
It's about developing the capacity to notice what is good alongside everything else.
Problems,
We'll still get our attention and the unfinished work will still be there.
But savoring really helps us get better at noticing moments of pleasure and connection and joy and accomplishment,
Beauty.
That are all also a part of our lives.
Thank you for joining me with this small bit of attention training.
And wishing you a week ahead full of savoring.
