Hello,
My name is Carrie Ann Kasich and I'm a certified mindfulness meditation teacher.
Today I'm going to share with you one of my favorite short meditations called PRO,
Meaning pause,
Relax,
And open.
This short meditation,
When practiced on a regular basis,
Can be used as a sort of skill building to help you pause and step out of your normal reactions to meet those difficult moments with acceptance and an open awareness to what is beyond your internal experience so that you can encompass all that is external.
So you're ready to give it a try.
Find a comfortable position where you feel both relaxed and alert.
Your eyes may be open or slightly closed.
Whatever feels most comfortable for you today.
And we're going to begin by finding your breath.
This is an example of pause,
Where you find your anchor,
Whether it is the breath or something else,
And you take the time to notice this anchor,
To sink into it.
By doing that,
You're creating a safe solid foundation for your meditation.
So without trying to manipulate your breath,
Simply notice the sensation of your body breathing itself.
The rise and fall,
Maybe the inner sounds,
Or the cool air coming into your nostrils,
And the warm air being released,
Or something else about the quality of your breath.
Anytime your mind wanders in this meditation,
You can return to your breath.
Noticing a wandering mind,
Remembering to return with care and patience,
As one might call back a puppy,
Is an important part of any meditation.
And now we're ready to slide into relax,
The R of Pro.
So begin to allow your body to find that relaxed state.
You may do a body scan starting with your face,
Perhaps breathing into any areas that are tense.
Or you can just search for any areas that may need attention,
Rolling shoulders,
Or allowing your breath to loosen that inner tension.
When you're ready,
You might even want to inwardly say the word allow,
Or yes.
Feel how energetically those words may help you to sink into a deeper relaxation,
A deeper calm.
Gently invite your awareness to open,
The O of Pro.
How would you imagine yourself opening to all experiences?
Try to feel into the sensation of expansion.
You might even use your breath to create a kind of spaciousness inside yourself,
So that with each breath you can feel yourself opening a little bit more.
Let any thoughts or feelings rise without being swept away by them.
Practice letting any fixed ideas fall away.
If you have thoughts of how or who you are,
Or the right way to be meditating,
Or the wrong way,
Simply notice them.
You might imagine these thoughts,
These feelings as orange leaves falling from a tree.
Just let them fall.
If at any time this feels like too much effort,
You might return to your breath or the word allow until you feel yourself again relaxing and opening.
When you're ready,
Open a little bit further.
Bring yourself into the external.
One way to do this is to imagine yourself on a bridge,
Looking down at all your thoughts,
Ideas,
Emotions,
Sensations flowing beneath you.
Observing from this place with a calm,
Kind curiosity.
Notice the quality of your spaciousness now.
What does it feel like to allow thoughts and feelings to arise and fall without identifying with them?
Take that openness a little bit further and you can even open your eyes and take in all that's around you,
Feeling yourself expand out into the room or the environment that you're in and beyond through your neighborhood and even further.
Where do you feel that expansiveness in your body?
Notice what it feels like to be taking in the external,
Bringing your awareness out.
No right,
No wrong,
Simply an awareness.
Now you're ready to be present to whatever comes in front of you.
Whatever rises from inside you will be authentic and real to the whole experience.
You can stay here or you can begin to return to your breathing,
Noticing the cool air on your cheek or your hands and returning to the room whenever you're ready.
