Let's start by taking a moment to get comfortable,
To adjust the way you're sitting however you need.
Just make sure you can be relaxed and alert at the same time.
As we close our eyes and settle in,
Just begin to relax any obvious areas of tension in the body.
Relax the face,
Jaw,
The tongue.
Relax your shoulders,
Your chest,
Your belly.
Relax your hips and the base of your spine.
Relax your arms,
Your elbows,
Your wrists,
Your hands.
Relax your legs,
Your knees,
Your calves,
And your feet.
Relax your whole body and begin to notice the breath in the body.
The sensations of the inhale,
The subtle relaxation of the exhale.
Just allow your body to breathe naturally,
Allowing the breath to continue relaxing the body,
As if the breath were massaging the body.
We'll bring our attention to the points of contact between the body and the floor,
At the feet,
Or on the chair,
And feel those points of pressure,
Accepting them and investigating how they feel.
What does it feel like to be sat down?
Then move your attention to your feet.
You might feel the sensations of the socks or shoes,
Subtle tingling sensation inside the feet.
Any sensation that is giving you evidence that your feet are there.
Notice how the sensations change.
Move your attention to your hands,
Feeling any tingling,
Any warmth or coolness,
Investigating any of the details of the sensations.
Are they sharp or dull?
Are they broad or fine?
Do they have a particular color?
How would you describe what you're feeling?
You might label the sensations sharpness,
Tingling,
Tightness,
Throbbing,
Pulsing,
Expanding,
Contracting,
Whatever comes to mind.
And then bring a sense of warmth and friendliness to this investigation,
Curiosity,
Fascination,
Having fun,
Coming to know our own experience,
And then relaxing our attention.
Allow your attention to roam around the body.
Again,
Relaxing any obvious points of contraction,
Relaxing the whole body as you pay attention to sensations from head to toe.
Open up your attention to as many sensations in the body as possible.
Relax into feeling your whole body.
Now notice if there are any areas that are calling out for your attention,
Any sensations that are particularly strong or salient in your mind.
These might be uncomfortable sensations that your mind is trying to avoid,
That your attention is ricocheting off,
Or they might be pleasant sensations that's drawing your mind,
Where your mind tends to stick and hold on.
I find it easiest to work with unpleasant sensations,
Sensations of discomfort or tightness,
And use the sense of discomfort as the cue that your attention should move in that direction.
So this might be a physical discomfort in your knee or in your hip or in your back or shoulders,
Anything slightly tight or painful.
Choose an area,
Choose a point that reaches out to you and focus your attention on that spot.
This might also be a mental discomfort,
A restlessness or impatience or frustration or doubt or even fear,
A sense of inadequacy,
Sense of sadness,
Whatever it might be.
It's a unpleasant sensation that your mind naturally wants to avoid.
Once you've found an area that reaches out to you in this way,
You've recognized it,
Take a moment to just accept the sensations,
To let them be there.
We don't want them to go away or to stay or to do anything at all.
We are not an agent influencing these sensations,
We're simply observing.
Deconstruct the sensation if you recognize it as an emotion,
Like a fear or an uncertainty or some other conceptual feeling.
Break it down into the bodily sensations.
Investigate what's making this sensation.
If there's fear,
It might be felt as a constriction in the chest or movements in the mind.
More physical discomfort might be felt like a sharpness or tightness,
Clenching,
The tiredness.
Sink your attention into the sensations.
We come to get to know this thing that your mind is avoiding.
If it ever becomes too much,
You can always open your eyes or feel your hands and feet or come back to the breath.
Only do what's comfortable.
If the sensations are particularly intense,
Like an intense pain,
Then you can pendulate back and forth between those sensations and a more neutral sensation of the breath.
Be kind to your own mind.
There's no need to brute force.
You might ask yourself,
Where is the center of these sensations?
Where exactly is the edge?
Is it moving,
Changing,
Or static?
Would I describe it as a dull sensation?
A sharp sensation?
Does it have a color?
Are there thoughts or emotions associated with it?
Is there a belief that comes up or a more general feeling,
The steeper?
Is there any way in which you're holding onto these sensations?
Can you see any identification?
Any protecting?
Any fear?
And whatever it is,
Just allow it to be there.
Welcome it in and adopt a friendly,
Warm attitude to these sensations.
A welcoming,
Compassionate stance to whatever's arising.
This can be felt like a friendliness or warmth or as the hint of a smile in your mind,
As an accepting,
As a peace.
Whatever speaks to you most,
Adopt that mentality of positive,
Calm,
Warmth as you explore these sensations.
And take a moment to zoom out your awareness again,
Paying attention to the whole body once again and noticing if any other area is now calling for attention,
Whether the same area or sensations are still at the forefront of the mind.
Whatever seems to be calling out for your attention most,
Recognize where it is,
Recognize the sensations without labeling them and accept that they're there.
Relaxing your mind into feeling them fully.
Once again,
Investigate exactly what's making up these sensations.
Any tingling or tightness or any feelings of contact or warmth.
And then nurture the area with a positive mind,
A calm mind,
A compassionate feeling of friendliness.
And once again,
Bring your attention to your entire body,
Feeling your body breathe and expanding your attention to the space around you,
To the sounds,
To the room in front and behind and above and below you and when you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes,
Maintaining this contact with the sensations in the body as best as possible as you move into the rest of your day.
You
