This is Lanny Muehl-Rath and this is the audio support for Day 6 of The Mindful Vegan,
A 30-day plan for finding health,
Balance,
Peace and happiness.
Today's practice is for 6 minutes,
Including instruction,
Though you are welcome to practice for longer.
Set the intention of sitting in continuous meditation practice today for 6 minutes 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 begin again.
Begin by 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.
Become aware of the feeling of 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,
Find your anchor,
The feeling of 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 as you continue mindfulness meditation practice.
Allow the breath to continue naturally without trying to control it in any way.
See if you can feel one breath at a time.
Your only task is to stay attentive to the sensations of each in and out breath at that small area at and right beneath your nostrils.
The attitude that you bring to your sitting practice is an important element of intention.
When your mind wanders,
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.
Perhaps your mind has already started to wander.
If that's the case,
You're not doing anything wrong and it's actually quite normal.
Many distractions will arise,
A steady parade of thoughts,
Mental images,
Bodily sensations,
Even emotions.
You may not even notice this wandering until you have been lost in thought for a while.
Keep in mind,
An important element of mindfulness is the willingness to be present without judgment Translated to your mindfulness practice,
When you find yourself thinking judgmental thoughts such as,
I'll never get this right,
To respond by berating yourself does not help.
Instead of practicing mindfulness,
You're practicing judgment and blame,
And what you practice grows stronger.
Remember the analogy of a puppy from a previous lesson?
Let's 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.
Gradually,
With practice,
Returning to anchor becomes easier.
You will more often be able to stay present with the breath for longer periods of time.
Getting this to living,
This means you will be able to abide less in the wandering mind and more in the present.
This gives you more and more opportunities to see that you need not default to old habits that drive your thoughts and emotions on autopilot.
You gain the freedom that awareness brings.
You may feel that it's impossible for you to keep the mind still,
Or that you'll never get the hang of getting the mind quiet.
It's helpful to understand that the important thing here is not that you shouldn't have any thoughts.
Rather,
You are practicing letting go of thoughts and returning to the point of concentration every time you realize you've wandered off to thinking.
The moment you notice that your mind has wandered,
You have already remembered your intention.
Gently let go of thoughts and kindly return your attention to the present in the actual physical feeling of the breath,
Your anchor.
Remember this every time you discover that your attention has wandered.
Remember,
Return,
Repeat.
This simple act beginning over and over again is the essential art of mindfulness meditation practice.
You simply begin again gently and patiently.
When the time is up with the sound of the chime,
Gently open your eyes.
Set an intention to bring some of this quality of mindfulness to the present moment,
Forward with you into your day.
You are welcome to sit beyond the chime for longer practice.
You are welcome to sit beyond the chime for longer practice.
