Welcome.
Today we will do a short practice to help settle the mind.
So please find a comfortable seat.
Preferably you would have both feet flat on the ground.
And sitting in a posture that is upright yet relaxed.
There's a sense of dignity.
So whenever we want to settle the mind,
We want to bring the attention or your awareness into the body.
The mind being so busy is what creates that anxiety,
That tension.
So again we change our channel if you will and purposely redirect our attention into the body.
You start to notice the area of your face.
Noticing specifically around the eyes,
Softening in the eyes.
So the eyes are closed,
We keep them in one place.
And if they're open,
Looking just down slightly with a soft gaze.
Releasing any tension in the jaw.
And then going back to noticing the spine.
So again we're in an upright yet relaxed posture.
We can soften the shoulders.
Notice the hands,
Fingers spaced naturally.
And then we need to give the busy mind something to do.
Something to play with as it likes to be entertained.
So in like a lot of meditations we will use the breath.
So begin to notice where you feel the breath entering and leaving the body.
Maybe it's the rise and fall of the belly,
Maybe it's at your nostrils,
Or maybe there's just an inner feeling in that one particular place.
Feeling the breath entering and leaving the body.
The breath being our anchor to help keep the mind from wandering.
To help us to drop our storyline.
And to just give up the struggle just for a few minutes even.
Let's take an inhale together,
Inhale.
And exhale.
Inhale.
And exhale.
You can say these words after I say them.
Breathing in,
I calm my mind.
Breathing out,
I release all the worries.
In,
Out.
When the mind wanders,
As it will.
Again,
Let's not turn that into a struggle but rather just recognizing the mind is doing what it does and with gentleness we bring it back home to the sensation of the body breathing.
That is our home,
Our breathing body,
Our beautiful breath.
Breathing in,
I calm my mind.
Breathing out,
I release all worries.
In,
Out.
When the mind wanders,
We gently bring it back home.
Breathing in,
To our body breathing.
Noticing if we are still sitting with an upright,
Relaxed posture.
Breathing in,
Out.
So,
An image or visual you can use is that of a snow globe.
So when we first sit,
It's like that snow globe that's been shaken.
And then slowly and quietly,
Naturally,
It begins to settle and has a real sense of tranquility about it.
So,
I'm going to finish up,
But please feel free to continue if you're enjoying your breath,
Your present moment experience.
Take an inhale together and exhale.
Breathing in,
I calm my mind.
Breathing out,
I release all worries.
Breathing in,
Out.
