Welcome.
Finding your way towards a comfortable position,
Whether that's lying down or seated,
Wherever you can get as comfortable as you can.
I like to close my eyes for meditation,
But that's up to you what you'd like to do if you want to close them all the way,
Halfway,
Or maybe find a soft gaze with the eyes and just a field of view ahead of you.
This meditation will help us to develop focus,
Steadiness,
And resiliency.
And whenever your attention wanders,
Bringing it back.
We are humans,
Distractions come up.
First,
Visualizing yourself,
Bringing all of your energy that has been elsewhere today,
Bringing it back to you.
You are a magnet drawing your energy back in.
You are refilling yourself back up.
Now let's check in with the physical body,
Noticing,
Feeling,
Observing,
Making space where you can,
Making any adjustments that you need to get comfy,
Lengthening through the spine,
Relaxing the jaw,
Smoothing out the space between the eyebrows and the bridge of the nose.
And now bringing your awareness to the more subtle and energetic aspects of your body.
Turning further inward,
Focus the mind on the breath.
Our breathing is happening right here,
Right now.
If your breath automatically gets longer or shorter by shifting your focus,
That's completely normal.
Observe your breath from every angle here,
The sound of your breath,
The pace,
Any difference in inhale and exhale,
What parts of your body move from your body to your body,
And what does it feel like?
No wrong or right answers,
Just notice and connect.
No wrong or right answers,
Just notice and connect.
Connecting with the physical space of where you feel your breath.
You can do this either by focusing on the nostrils,
Where you feel subtle sensations of the breath as it enters and leaves your body,
Or by focusing on the movement of the chest rising and falling,
Or the movement of the belly rising and falling as you breathe.
Perhaps you focus your attention around the ribs,
Whatever works for you here.
Use the space as your physical anchor to keep bringing you back here,
Grounding,
Bringing your mind back to this space anytime that it wanders away.
Notice your attitude towards your thoughts as they come up.
Try to be aware of your thoughts as they come up.
Try to be aware of your thoughts as they come up.
Try to begin to cultivate a neutral attitude towards your thoughts.
No attractions or aversions,
Not reacting to the thoughts,
But merely noticing them,
And then returning to awareness of the breath and connection with the physical anchor.
If you have to do this over and over,
That's okay.
Try to keep frustration at bay if this happens,
Being gentle with yourself as it is a practice.
Let's take a deep exhale together,
Sighing the breath out like a H-A-ha sound.
Do that again after you take a big breath in,
And sigh it out.
Now let's count the breath together,
Repeating silently to yourself,
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
1.
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
2.
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
3.
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
4.
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
5.
One more time from 1 to 5 at your pace.
Slowly bringing your awareness back to your body,
Back to that physical anchor of your breath,
Bringing your awareness back to your surroundings.
But if the eyes are closed,
Still keep them gently closed.
See if you can cultivate a feeling of contentment to stay in the present,
Accepting whatever frame of mind you are in,
And whatever arises in your mind,
Without judging as good or bad,
Just reminding yourself how beneficial it is to have made the effort to meditate,
And to take this time out of your schedule for yourself.
How do you feel?
Thank you for sharing this practice with me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Namaste.
