Object Focused Meditation

A guided meditation where the focus of the attention is on an object, either real or imaginary. The meditation starts with a grounding practice, followed by a body scan. The meditation continues to the core technique of focussing your attention on an object.

Transcript

And today's meditation session will be a simple or basic mindfulness practice where the focus of the meditation will be on an object.

It can either be a real object that you might have available within the room that you're in or an object that you'll bring to mind later in the meditation.

Just making sure that your surroundings are free of distraction and that you've got a comfortable position to be in for around 30 minutes.

As this is a mindfulness practice it's probably better undertaken sitting up either in a chair or on a cushion so that you can stay alert.

But if you wish to lay down that's fine,

Just be aware that you may fall asleep so you just need to be conscious of that.

And as we begin,

Sensing the weight of your body being supported up through the cushion or the chair or the floor below.

Sensing your weight being supported and held here.

Sensing that support down through the floor and down to the earth below.

Connecting in and sensing that support and strength arising from the earth,

Holding you here,

Coming into stillness,

Supported and held.

And noticing other parts of the body in contact with the floor or parts of the body resting on itself.

You may also notice the temperature of the air in the room on your skin.

Settling that little bit lower in your cushion.

Solid base and support arising from below.

Slowing down and arriving in this space.

With your eyes open,

Just softly gazing around the room.

Just taking in anything that picks your attention.

Pausing and noticing colour,

Shadow,

Shape,

Texture.

And then move on to another object,

Acquainting yourself with the space you're in.

Arriving here in this moment.

Nowhere else to be.

Nothing else to do.

Here present.

And gently closing down your eyes and sensing any taste that you can sense.

Perhaps something you've recently eaten or drunk.

Simply noticing.

Noticing any fragrances or smells that you can detect.

Simply letting those fragrances float to you.

Connecting in with the physical senses.

The aliveness of the body held here in this space.

Alert and attentive to whatever's present for you.

And noticing any sounds that you can hear.

The nearing sounds in the room.

Perhaps a heater or an air conditioner.

May have some music playing.

Or simply the sound of the guided meditation.

As you notice the sounds,

You may also notice that they have a beginning and an end.

And that there's periods of silence in between.

Going down and arriving in this space.

Allowing your attention now to expand to sounds outside the room.

Perhaps the sounds of nature.

Just singing or dogs barking.

Perhaps just traffic passing by.

Or just the sounds of people going about their day.

Simply letting those sounds come to you.

And taking your attention now to the top of your head,

To the very crown.

And noticing any sensations,

Tingling.

Observing and connecting in with the aliveness within the body.

The signs of your head and your ears.

And to the back of your head and to the nape of your neck.

Simply observing.

Connecting in.

Becoming present.

Going across your brow and settling in the eyes with a gentleness and softness.

Down the bridge of your nose into her very tip.

You may sense the air entering your nostrils as you breathe in and breathe out.

Simply observing.

Sensing the aliveness and the energy flowing through the body.

Your cheeks and lips and into your jaw and inside the mouth with your tongue and teeth and gums.

Simply connecting in with whatever's present for you.

Bringing attention now to your neck and your throat.

Sensing the aliveness there.

I feel the breath as you're breathing in or breathing out.

Bringing your attention now to your shoulders.

Noticing any tightness or tension or tingling.

Just resting your focus.

Accepting any sensations that are present for you.

To your upper arms and shoulders.

Deep inside to the bones and the muscles.

To your elbows.

Breathing in with any tightness or tension,

Sense of energy flowing and aliveness.

To your forearms and down into your wrists.

Connecting in with whatever's present for you.

To the backs of your hands.

The palms of your hands.

The bones.

And down along the fingers to the very tip.

Breathing in with any tightness or tension or perhaps tingling at the very fingertips.

And as you rest your attention in your hands you may sense a release and an openness within the hands,

A lightness.

Simply accepting whatever's present for you.

To your upper back and spine.

And deep into the muscles.

The skin.

Connecting in with any tightness or tension.

Observing.

Being present.

And slowly down your back vertebrae by vertebrae.

Letting your attention settle into your heart space.

To your heart.

Pumping energy and blood throughout the body.

And to your lungs bringing the oxygen needed.

They sense the gentle rise and fall as you gently breathe in and breathe out.

They sense the energy and the aliveness.

And down into your belly.

And abdomen.

Connecting in with any tightness or tension.

The aliveness.

Feeling the energy flowing through the body.

Into your lower back and lumbar region.

Into your pelvis and your buttocks and your sit bones.

Accepting the strength and support of the core.

To your hips and deep inside.

To the bones.

Feeling whatever's present for you.

Into your thighs and hamstrings.

The skin and bone.

Large muscles.

Sensing the aliveness and the energy.

Or perhaps tightness and tension.

And to your knees,

The kneecap and the back of the knee.

Connecting in with whatever's present for you.

To your shin and calf.

The aliveness.

The energy.

Into your ankles and all the little bones that make up your ankle.

Sensing any tightness or tension.

Or simply the energy flowing in the body.

The tops of your feet.

The soles of your feet.

And all the way down to the tips of your toes.

Noticing any tightness or tension.

Or simply tingling whatever's present for you.

Now bringing your attention to your whole body.

Sensing any areas of tightness or tension.

Or areas that are generally at ease.

The tingling,

The sense of being alive.

This body,

This moment.

And the world here in this space.

The energy of the group meditating together.

You may like to bring to mind an object or you may have something in the room that you wish to focus your attention on.

Just bringing your attention now to an object.

Could be anything.

Could be a plant or a flower.

Just simply noticing and taking in the object.

The whole object.

The shape.

The shadows.

How it's sitting.

Any movement.

Simply connecting in and focusing on the object.

Colour and shape and texture.

Perhaps examining deeper.

What it's made of.

What it smells like.

What it sounds like.

And all the intricate little details,

Cracks and crevices,

Veins.

Transparent.

Whatever's present for you.

The focus of your attention.

Bringing your attention on the object.

Keep coming back to the object and looking deeper.

Staying focused and alert.

Being mindful.

Continuing to observe.

Continuing to notice.

Keeping the focus.

Keeping the object at the centre of your attention.

Holding your presence.

As we spend the next period of time in silence.

And should you want to let go of the object,

Simply return to the breath as your focus of the meditation.

Encourage you to hold the object in your attention as long as you can.

Going deeper.

Going deeper.

Following the crowd beam.

You you you you you you you you you you you you you going deeper still you you you you you you you you you connecting back in with your physical body sensing the white of your body being supported up through the cushion or the floor the chair that you're in sensing the white of your body being held here and noticing other parts of the body in contact with the floor or resting on itself clothing resting on new skin noticing any tastes or fragrances smells that you can connecting back in the physical body in this space noticing any sounds that you can hear both inside the room and outside arriving back in this space you may like to take a couple of deep breaths to slowly awaken the body breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth and introducing some movement to the body wriggling of your fingers or toes clenching of your hands perhaps a roll of the shoulders and any other stretching that you feel your body needs and when you're ready just gently opening your eyes and reconnecting with the space that you're in being soft and gentle with yourself as you come back to this present moment you and as you slowly come out of the meditation I hope that you found everything that you needed to find for yourself today through this meditation