Let's find a comfortable position and just allow ourselves a few moments of transition here,
Just to settle in,
Maybe taking a few deeper breaths,
Just to slow down from whatever we were doing before.
It's taking a few moments here.
Today we're going to explore a practice that I really love because it's one that you can make as short or as long as you'd like using the same framework to practice.
One of the most common things I hear from people is that they want to learn to meditate or they want to meditate more or live more mindfully,
But they just don't have enough time.
And I think that most of us are pretty familiar with this not-enough-time thing.
We have family and work and friends that we need to and want to tend to and spend time with.
There are all those little life-maintenance things that tug us in a million different directions.
We have the things that we want to do,
Those things that bring us pleasure and joy or spark creativity,
The things that need to make our to-do list because they make life worth living.
They make some of the other parts more bearable.
On top of all this,
Adding meditation can sometimes feel like just another thing that we're tacking on to the to-do list.
And we don't want it to feel that way,
Right?
We're coming to meditation for a reason.
And there's a variety of reasons.
Maybe we want to feel less stressed or less reactive,
Less frustrated,
Less angry.
Maybe we want to feel more of a sense of calm or ease in our life or we want to sleep better.
Maybe we don't want to feel like we're going through life on autopilot,
Just going through the motions but not really there.
But whatever specific or even vague reason that brings us to meditation,
We're all here to learn how to be more aware in the present moment,
Not just to add something to our to-do list.
And we practice like this,
Taking time aside specifically to practice mindfulness in part so that we can learn and practice the tools that we will later employ in the course of everyday life.
So in the middle of your day when you get a flat tire or your partner is being ornery and your workload is never-ending,
Or when your kid is driving you crazy,
When your dog throws up all over the floor,
Or when your manager or colleague is just a total jerk,
Whatever comes up in the moment,
We then have these tools of mindfulness to use because we've practiced them.
We have tools to slow down,
To recognize what's happening in our bodies,
In our minds,
In the moment.
Maybe we can even diffuse some reactive behavior and allow any strong emotions to pass.
So with today's practice,
We're going to explore a slightly longer version of what could be a mini,
A short,
A medium,
Or an even longer practice.
You can make it as short or as long as you like.
And we're going to explore a little bit of a middle ground today so you can see what's available in this practice.
And this practice is called props.
It comes from my friend Kat,
Who is a beautiful human and a meditation and breath work guide.
Props is an acronym.
Pause,
Receive,
Observe,
Proceed,
Smile.
And we will work through each of these together.
So we'll shift into the practice of props now,
Maybe taking a deeper breath or two.
And using these deeper breaths as a signal to your body to settle,
Letting the body know it's time to practice for this next little while.
And if it feels good,
Gently allowing the eyes to drift closed.
And if it feels awkward or uncomfortable to have the eyes closed,
Just allow them to be open but just kind of unfocused.
And know that as we practice,
Everything here is an invitation.
So I'm inviting you to explore this practice with some curiosity and an open mind.
But if anything is ever uncomfortable,
Don't force it.
Just take a pause if you find yourself in that space.
You don't need to follow along if it doesn't feel good.
There's no bonus points for completion.
And you can always jump back in if you want to.
So this entry that we're taking into this practice,
The first P in our props is pause.
So we're pausing whatever we were doing before,
And we're just taking a moment.
It's noticing that right now we're taking a pause,
And what does it feel like to pause?
What does it feel like to be doing this right now?
Noticing what's happening in the body and the mind.
Do they still feel like they're going at the pace of the rest of the day?
Or has a slowness crept in?
Are you feeling at ease?
Does it feel comfortable to pause?
Maybe there's even some relief.
Or maybe there's discomfort.
Maybe pausing is a good thing.
Maybe there's even some relief.
Or maybe there's discomfort.
Maybe pausing brings every item on our to-do list to the front of our mind.
Maybe it makes us restless.
And we're just noticing here,
Noticing whatever is present.
No need to change anything.
You're also noticing any desire for things to be different than whatever they are in this moment.
And if that's present,
Just noting that it's there.
And that might present as agitation,
Restlessness,
Or aversion to this practice.
Or it might be a very clear,
I wish I felt more,
Fill in the blank.
Fill in the blank.
Let's just notice.
A little mental list.
What do we see here?
Exploring what it feels like to pause for another breath or two.
Shifting now to our next letter,
R for receive.
So here we'll receive some deep breaths.
Slowly allowing our breath to deepen.
Taking a deeper inhale.
A long exhale.
Allowing yourself to receive the breath instead of forcing the breath.
Instead of being the one doing.
Sometimes when we deepen the breath or even just pay attention to it,
We sort of inadvertently push it and we force it to happen.
Notice here,
Can you just allow the breath to happen?
Receiving the breath as it comes.
What does it feel like to receive breath?
Anything you notice in the body or the mind?
There be a feeling of ease.
Just receiving here.
And noticing if there is any difference in allowing the breaths to be received instead of doing.
And what does it feel like to receive deep breaths in this pause?
Your pause is just filled with these deep breaths already and we are here to receive them.
And we are here to observe.
Shifting now to our next letter,
O for observe.
And here we'll observe what's happening as we pause as we receive breath.
Anything is up for grabs here.
Just anything that comes into the attention.
Just observing here as the attention shifts from whatever the most prominent thing is in true regularly change in most cases.
Just observing what's there.
Is it something in the body,
An itch,
A sore spot?
Their desire to move around,
To shift,
Or to open your eyes.
Observing as we ride this wave of practicing awareness.
And what do I observe in this moment?
What am I observing as I pause and as I receive breath?
Moving on to our next letter,
P for proceed.
And this is where we slowly start to shift out of our practice to proceed with our day.
But we're using this P for proceed as a moment of transition.
It is still part of our practice rather than just abruptly ending the day.
And we're using this P for proceed as a moment of transition.
It is still part of our practice rather than just abruptly ending practice and moving on to something else we're preparing.
We've taken a few minutes out of our day.
We've practiced awareness.
And we can proceed with what's next.
And what's next is our final letter,
S.
And S is for smile.
Allowing a soft,
Gentle smile to come to your face,
Even if it feels silly to do it.
Especially if it feels silly.
Especially if it feels silly.
Feeling the smile on your face and taking a moment to notice what it feels like to smile.
What is the smile like that comes to the face naturally?
A big one?
A tiny one?
One that's held for a long time or a short while?
Notice again the feeling in the cheeks,
Jaw,
The eyes,
The forehead.
What is it like in your overall being,
Noticing what it feels like to smile?
If the eyes have been closed slowly and gently,
Allowing them to open.
Refocusing slowly,
Maybe blinking a few times as you take in your surroundings again.
And we will end our props practice today with a nice deep breath together.
A big,
Deep inhale.
A long,
Slow,
Full exhale.
Thank yourself for showing up today.
Practicing awareness and for doing something for you.
And thank you for having me as a part of your process.
