Hello and welcome.
My name is Katie Chosett and I am glad you are here with me today for this short meditation on tuning out,
Disconnecting,
And tuning inward.
So I invite you to settle in with me for the next 10 or so minutes,
Finding a comfortable seat or a posture that can be really anything that works for you.
Lying down in bed,
Seated in a chair or on a cushion.
And if it works for you to be moving about the house,
That's okay too.
Whatever it is,
It's important that you've taken these five minutes to disconnect and to tune in to your own body.
There is no right or wrong way to do it.
So as you begin to disconnect,
If you are able to shut down the eyes,
I invite you to do that now.
Bringing that sense of sight out of the equation and bringing your awareness to your internal dialogue.
What is your body saying to you today?
Are there any parts of the body that are screaming for your attention?
Anything that is sore or tender or hurting?
Just allow your attention to briefly focus on that one area.
Give it a little bit of attention that it's craving and then move past.
Allow it to be there.
You're not pushing the pain away.
You're just acknowledging and taking in the body as a whole.
So in your posture with the eyes closed,
Down just begin by connecting with the breath.
Following one breath after the next,
Noticing where you feel the breath in the body.
If you've gone ahead and sealed up the lips and you're breathing through the nostrils now,
Both in and out,
Take note of the temperature of the air as it enters the nostrils.
And then take note of the air as you release the air through the nostrils.
Is there a difference?
Maybe,
Maybe not.
Just noticing.
Can you feel the breath in the throat?
Can you feel the body breathing,
That whole midsection,
Your abdomen?
Can you feel the chest rise and fall?
The lungs,
The rib cage expanding?
Can you feel the breath in the throat?
The lungs,
The rib cage expanding?
Can you deepen the breath so that it goes all the way down to the belly?
Feeling your belly expand and then noticing the belly button coming back in and up towards the spine.
Noticing the diaphragm,
Lowering with the inhale and lifting,
Pushing the air out through the nostrils.
Just following the breathing of the body,
You may notice the shoulders slightly lift and lower.
You might notice the back,
Upper back,
Mid back,
Lower back.
Just following the breathing,
Nothing else to do here.
Bringing all of your awareness to the breath,
Not changing it or wishing it was different in any way,
Simply observing it.
You may play around with the breath.
You might try unsealing the lips and letting the exhale go through an open mouth.
You may notice the back,
Upper back,
Mid back,
Lower mouth.
As you do this,
You might feel a release in the body,
In the shoulders,
Dropping away from the ears,
Down and back.
You might notice an emotional release.
Simply by paying attention to the breath and making a very small movement,
Such as opening the mouth as opposed to closing the mouth or lengthening the inhale versus the exhale.
Or paying attention to the breath traveling all the way deep into the belly.
Exhaling,
Feeling the breath as it travels back up,
The diaphragm pushing it out.
Nice and slow.
Connecting the breath with the thought pattern.
You may have noticed that the thoughts aren't quite as frantic as they were when you first began the practice today.
There's a little bit more space between the thoughts.
See if you can bring your awareness to that quiet space.
Right between the thoughts.
So you might have a thought and you'll bring your awareness to it.
And then you'll notice that that thought ends.
And just before the next worry or idea comes to mind,
There is this quiet.
Can you rest in that quiet for just a moment?
That quiet between thoughts.
And then notice the thoughts coming.
They have a beginning,
A middle,
And an ending.
And then there's the quiet before the next thought comes.
And just following the thoughts just as you are the breath.
Just noticing and allowing each thought or each breath to come and to go just as easily as it appeared.
And noticing the breath once again,
Tip of the nostrils,
Deep into the belly,
Exhaling,
Letting it go in the body.
And then notice the breath coming in.
Tip of the nostrils,
Deep into the belly,
Exhaling,
Letting it go in the body,
Feeling the release,
Letting go of any tension you're feeling in the body.
And that'll bring you right back to where we started.
Noticing the physical body that you are sitting in now.
Paying attention to any parts of the body that are screaming out for your attention,
Rather than being disappointed that it's distracting or disruptive.
Perhaps noticing what happens when you pay attention.
Just show it some kindness,
Welcome it in.
It is all part of your human experience right now.
And then zooming out from this area that is causing you pain or distress and taking in the body as a whole.
Noticing how you're feeling as we wrap up this practice today.
Noticing if the body feels any different than it did at the beginning of the practice.
Are there any areas of the body that are softer or relaxed?
Just noticing that might not be there for you today and that's okay.
But if it is,
Just bringing your awareness to the areas of the body that may have softened during the practice.
The face,
The jaw,
The shoulders.
And then beginning to notice your body in the room that you've chosen to practice in.
Becoming aware of your connection to the seat beneath you.
Noticing your body taking up space in the chair or the cushion in the room.
Noticing your body taking up space in the chair or the cushion in the room.
And then when you are ready,
Going ahead and opening up the eyes,
Bringing your sense of sight back into your practice.
You might look around the space you're seated in.
You might try connecting with the breath a few more times before standing up and going back to your day.
Just following the breath with the eyes open with the sense of sight.
Knowing that the breath is available to you throughout your day.
Whether you are seated in practice or whether you are out and about carrying on in the busyness of the day,
All you have to do is stop and connect with the breathing.
And disconnect and tune in.
Thank you for joining me and I look forward to seeing you back here next time.
