Let us begin our practice by taking three deep breaths in and out together.
Breathing in and out.
Taking a deep breath in and out.
And one more sweet breath in and out.
Feel your seat on the ground rooting you and holding you.
And give yourself permission to come into this moment to leave aside any thoughts or to-do's that you brought with you.
You are just here right now.
And we begin by setting an intention to become aware of what's happening in our bodies,
To cultivate intimacy within ourselves so that we can apply this awareness throughout our day,
Becoming more and more fully present.
To begin with mindfulness of breathing,
Start by simply noticing your breath,
However it is right now.
You might notice that your breathing is shallow or deep or maybe fast or slow.
There's no judgment here.
And if you like,
You can focus your attention of your breathing on your abdomen,
Noticing your stomach as it gently rises and falls with each breath.
This is how we gently begin to drop into our own body.
If your mind wanders,
That's okay.
Simply take note and bring your attention back to your breathing.
If you like,
You can assist your attention by counting to 10 with each breath in and out as one count.
So breathing in and out is one.
Breathing in and out is two until you can reach 10.
And just as before,
If your attention wanders,
Simply bring it back to your breathing and begin your count again without judgment.
We'll gently begin now to expand our awareness to scan the rest of our physical body,
Starting at the crown of the head,
Slowly moving down to your toes.
We're practicing greeting any sensations with awareness and acceptance.
There's nothing to change or adjust or judge.
Just taking note,
Just noticing.
What are you feeling right now?
As you notice a sensation,
Try your best not to follow your mind down a sort of rabbit hole,
Stories or memories related to what you're feeling.
You're just practicing being aware,
Being mindful.
If you encounter a particularly strong sensation,
See if you can practice awareness and acceptance even now.
And at any time,
You can always return to your breath if you need.
If you're not feeling much right now,
That's okay too.
Just continue to scan your body.
And if you're feeling any pleasant sensations,
Practice awareness and acceptance with these as well.
Lastly,
We'll practice mindfulness of any other sensations that might be present for you right now,
Like emotions that may be surfacing.
And same as before,
Scanning your body,
Paying attention to any sensation that might be a bit more subtle,
That might be an emotion coming up for you right now.
And when you take note of this kind of sensation,
Practice awareness and acceptance of this too.
If your attention wanders here,
Again,
Simply take note and bring it back to paying attention to the sensations you feel right now.
Try not to cling to any sensations.
Try not to avoid any sensations.
Simply breathe with them.
Be with them.
And before we end this time together,
Let us dedicate this practice first to our ongoing work at coming into ourselves and cultivating intimacy with our own bodies.
And we also dedicate this practice so that all beings everywhere cultivate mindfulness of their own selves,
That they might know even one moment of awareness and acceptance.
