Welcome to this guided meditation on mindfulness of the body.
So go ahead and settle into a posture that best supports you,
Allowing you to feel grounded,
Relaxed and alert.
You're welcome to close your eyes or cast your gaze softly in front of you,
Whatever is the most comfortable for you.
You might begin by taking a nice full deep breath,
Inhaling deeply,
Filling the chest and the lungs,
And then a slow out breath,
Feeling the sensations of the breath as you exhale.
And then inhaling deeply again,
Filling the chest and the lungs.
And then a slow out breath,
Letting go of any contraction or tension that you might sense in the body.
And loosening the shoulders,
Softening the hands,
Letting the chest be open and the belly soft.
And then slowly allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Now bringing your attention to where you most easily feel the breath in the body,
Letting that place serve as your home base and anchor to the present moment.
Feeling how this breath feels right here.
The invitation throughout this meditation will be to stay with the breath at your choice,
Meaning if at any point you start feeling uncomfortable,
You may choose another anchor that brings you a sense of ease,
Such as noticing sounds in the space around you,
Or anchoring your attention in the sensations of your hands or feet,
Or other areas that may feel neutral in your body.
Bringing a relaxed and interested attention.
Notice what the sensations of the breath or your chosen anchor feel like moment to moment.
And when you notice your mind wandering,
Gently bring your attention back to the breath or your chosen anchor,
As if taking the hand of a small child who has wandered off and gently guiding her back home.
And as you continue your breathing,
You might gently scan through the body and see if you can notice any particularly strong sensations calling for your attention.
Is there heat or chills,
Tingling,
Aching,
Soreness,
Or is there twisting,
Stabbing,
Vibrating,
Or pressure?
With a soft open awareness,
Feeling the sensations as they are right now.
Are they pleasant or unpleasant?
And as you continue to bring your attention to them,
Do they grow or decrease in intensity?
Seeing how these sensations change over time.
If the sensations are no longer a strong experience,
Just return and bring your attention back to your breath or your chosen anchor.
If you find it difficult to stay with strong sensations,
Perhaps breathe along with them,
Letting the breath help you find some balance and openness in the midst.
It can also be helpful to name the sensations with a soft mental whisper,
Such as tightness,
Aching,
Heat,
Or pressure.
And you might ask yourself,
What is happening inside me right now?
Noticing any dominant sensations coming up for you and asking yourself,
Can I be with this?
Maybe feeling the flow of sensation,
Subtle or strong,
Letting life be just as it is.
Now,
Returning to your home base,
That is your breath or your chosen anchor,
Resting with a calm and steady attention.
Can you all now take a bend after eaching.
Please turn your legs back.
Mindfulness teacher Pema Chodron once said,
It's helpful to realize that this very body that we have,
That's sitting here right here,
Right now,
With its aches and its pleasures,
Is exactly what we need to be fully aware of.
Its pleasures is exactly what we need to be fully human,
Fully awake,
Fully alive.
Slowly bringing your attention back to the room.
And whenever you're ready,
Open your eyes.
