This is Lanny Muehlrapp and this is the audio support for Day 5 of The Mindful Vegan,
A 30-day plan for finding health,
Balance,
Peace,
And happiness.
Today's practice is for 5 minutes,
Including instructions,
Though you are welcome to practice for longer.
Set the intention of sitting in continuous meditation practice today for 5 minutes.
Also important is the intention to be present with kindness,
Patience,
And equanimity.
If you become slightly uncomfortable,
Take note and see if you can remain still,
Bringing your attention back to the breath.
If you become deeply uncomfortable,
However,
Such as experiencing pain in your legs or knees,
It is okay to gently,
Mindfully adjust your position and start again.
Begin by re-establishing position.
Whether seated on a cushion on the floor or in a chair,
Let your position be upright and attentive while at the same time comfortable and at ease,
Your hands in a comfortable position resting on the tops of your thighs,
The arms of the chair or folded in your lap.
Feeling your body on the cushion or chair,
Take a deep breath or two to help gather your attention and become aware of your body in the present moment.
Once you are settled into position,
Bring your attention to the breath where it enters and exits your nose.
Feel the breath as it flows in and out of your nostrils,
Any sense of sensations right beneath the nose.
This will be your anchor point,
The object of your focused awareness,
The point to which you return your attention.
Allow the breath to continue naturally without trying to control it in any way.
The attitude that you bring to your sitting practice is an important element of intention.
When your mind wanders,
Which it will,
Let go of that thought or feeling and return your focus to the breath without reproach.
In this way,
Meditation trains you to stay in the present rather than rehashing the past or worrying about the future,
Kindness,
Patience,
Non-judgment,
A sense of ease,
And a willingness to be present with whatever arises are the qualities to cultivate.
It's likely that your mind has already started to wander.
In fact,
All sorts of things will come into your mind when you sit for practice.
And if that's the case,
You're not doing anything wrong,
It's actually quite normal.
Many distractions will arise,
A steady parade of thoughts,
Mental images,
Bodily itches,
Plans or emotions.
You may not even notice this wandering until you have been lost in thought for a while.
Working with the attention on the breath is a bit like training a puppy.
You pick the puppy up,
Set them down on the paper,
And tell them to stay.
But does the puppy stay?
Nope.
Just like the mind,
The puppy gets up,
Wanders around,
And follows a million scents in a million directions.
Not unlike your attention and thoughts.
So you pick the puppy,
Your attention,
Up again,
Put the puppy down on the paper,
The breath,
Once again,
And tell them to stay.
Given enough time and loving attention,
The puppy begins to figure things out.
We may be a tad slower than puppies in this regard,
But it is still possible to train the mind as impossible as it may seem at the start.
Using the example of training a puppy,
We all know that it is not a good idea to scold the puppy when they stray.
Keep in mind an important element of mindfulness is the willingness to be present without judgment.
Just pick the puppy up by bringing the attention back to the breath.
Try to stay present,
Attentively,
For the next breath or two.
And when the mind wanders off,
Bring it back again with kindness and patience.
And gradually,
With practice,
Returning to anger will become easier.
You will more often be able to stay present with the breath for longer periods of time.
When the time is up,
With the sound of the chime,
Gently open your eyes.
You are welcome to sit beyond the chime for longer practice.
You are welcome to sit beyond the chime for longer practice.
