Great.
So we'll start this guided meditation kind of in a similar way as we did last time,
Or as I often do,
Which is just kind of orient to the moment.
And all that really means is to kind of gather one of our sense mechanisms to literally what's here.
And I like to start with visuals because visual has such a large interface with our brain.
So just letting your eyes go really slowly to reorient back into some what I call actual factuals of this moment,
Things that are just very simple in your space.
They could be,
It could be the solidity of the walls,
Like I did before,
Referencing those so that the brain can really see that we're in stable,
Safe places.
That's really important for the brain and the nervous system.
So we might start with that,
Just seeing simple,
Stable in the room.
Even taking a slight turn behind so that part of our brain that cares about what's behind us can also receive the information that we are in a safe and stable environment.
And then letting the eyes very slowly continue to maybe meander to the space that you're in,
And maybe eventually land on an object that for you is very simple.
There's nothing that needs to be managed about it,
Fixed,
Analyzed.
It's just simply what it is.
A couple of my favorites are like the ceiling,
The texture of the ceiling.
I don't need to do anything about that texture.
I can just kind of let my eyes rest there.
It could be a plant or a color that you see,
Or a shadow.
It really could be anything that's just really,
Really simple in your environment.
I'm just kind of letting the eyes rest there for a few breath cycles.
Nothing about that object needs to be changed,
Fixed,
Managed.
It just is what it is.
You can have the eyes open or you can,
To decrease data,
You can close them and do the same thing with a sound.
Maybe there's a sound in your environment.
For me,
It's easier to close my eyes so I can lean into the sense mechanism of sound.
Just maybe noticing some simple sounds.
It could be right in your environment.
It could be down the street.
It could be the hum of a fridge,
Or for me,
I can hear the wind,
And that's a nice subject for my ears to just hang out with.
So letting your attention find a sound that's nice for you to just be with for a few breath cycles.
And then we'll do the same thing with the sense of touch,
And so we might come back,
We might bring our attention back to a way that our body is connecting to couch,
Or floor,
Or bed,
The way that we know we exist in gravity,
And we feel like the sit bones pressing into the couch,
Or the arms resting on whatever object they're resting upon.
The way that we're leaning back.
Luckily,
None of us are floating in space.
We all are in within gravity,
And we can feel how we're making contact in some kind of way.
And in this moment,
We're just going to invite our attention to notice the simplest experience of that,
Of how we're grounded,
So to speak.
We're anchored.
We're making contact.
There's no right or wrong way to be noticing a simple experience,
And it might change.
So for me in this moment,
My attention came back to the rock in my hands.
It just feels really simple,
But it will likely move at some point.
Yep,
Just didn't move to the pillow behind my back.
I moved to the cross-leggedness of my legs,
Pressing my feet into the couch.
So those are just really simple experiences that I don't need to manage,
Or fix,
Or analyze.
You'll have your own.
You might keep noticing simple sounds as well,
Or if your eyes are open,
You might keep noticing simple sights.
So the senses often overlap,
And that's fine.
Attention will often go to thought,
Thinking about past,
Or future,
Or just random things,
And that's super normal.
That's kind of predictable that will happen,
Or expectable.
So we're not going to try to make that not happen.
The invitation is to notice that happening,
And then let's just a little bit of attention,
Bring some of that attention back toward the experience of something simple.
Sometimes I need a little prompt,
Like,
What's really simple right now?
I might ask myself that question.
What's really simple right now that I don't need to manage?
And I just see where my attention goes,
And I'm just going to hang out there.
You might notice breath.
You might not.
There's no have-tos here.
If you want,
You can notice some simple aspects of breathing.
It could be just how the nostrils take air in and out,
Or maybe how your breath is.
The shoulders rise and fall,
Or maybe how the ribcage moves as breath happens.
If you want,
You can go more into the visceral,
Into the interior of breath's movements.
Any aspect of breath that for you is really simple.
It doesn't need to be managed or figured out.
It's just okay,
Just as it is.
You might even notice how breath interfaces a little bit with gravity,
How when you breathe in,
Your body goes a little bit towards the ceiling,
And when breath breathes out,
You fall back into towards the earth.
I'm a big fan of the exhalation,
So sometimes you'll hear me do these audible exhalations.
I like the feeling of releasing out.
So that's just me.
Some people like the feeling of breathing in and filling up,
And some people don't like either.
So you can just bring attention to what is simple,
Experientially,
For you.
I'm going to invite ourselves to purposefully be curious.
Like,
What does that mean?
Well,
Maybe we might ask ourselves a curious question.
Like,
If I let my attention meander in my sitting,
Breathing body,
What's an experience I've never really noticed before?
A simple experience that I've never really noticed before?
One of my favorites is the armpits.
Like,
Ooh,
What's the armpits feel like?
What's it like to be in armpits?
One of my other favorites is,
What is it like to feel the nostrils?
As one of my young clients refers to them as nose straws.
What is it like to have to feel?
And then out of the nostrils.
And just letting your attention meander,
Curiously meander,
Into little areas that maybe you've just not ever stopped to say hello to.
Another common one that's often overlooked,
Is just over felt,
Or overlooked,
Yes,
Not connected with,
Is maybe the feeling of air on skin.
Is it the air on the face,
Or the arms?
It's just another possibility.
And be quiet,
And just inviting your attention to curiously meander for a few seconds.
And then just let go for a few more breath cycles.
Just continuing to be curious,
In that space of not knowing,
And wondering what might show up in a simple,
Very simple way,
In the sitting,
Breathing body.
Maybe you're having an experience right now that you want to keep leaning into.
Maybe there's a little bit of awe,
Or wonder in some kind of simple experience that you're having,
And if so,
You can stay right with that.
Continue to be curious.
Also,
As a possibility,
Just for fun,
We might like dream into a past memory that we've had.
Maybe we remember an experience that has kind of caught you off guard,
And left you in that state of awe,
And wonder.
It might be hard for some of us to find something specific,
So just kind of giving yourself some permission to be curious,
And maybe not finding anything.
You also might just dream back into maybe periods when you were a kid,
Or when you were watching a kid,
Or an animal,
Or nature.
Be something completely different that I've not named.
Staying slow and curious with your attention.
Like,
Oh,
Hello,
Memory,
Or hello,
Image.
Maybe noticing how it feels in your body,
As you recall that experience,
That memory.
Still have our sitting,
Breathing body here,
As we're purposely connecting with curiosity towards a memory,
Or an image,
Or an experience that we're having right now,
Through that recall.
Just inviting attention to keep getting curious with the simplicity,
Getting simple,
Or simple with the curiosity.
What is here that doesn't need to be figured out,
Or analyzed?
Just to note,
To say hi to.
Just a reminder,
There's no have tos,
Or shoulds,
Or supposed tos in this moment.
So at any time,
You can bring attention out of what we've been exploring,
And just back into anything simple of the sitting,
Breathing body.
We're going to bring this to a close shortly,
But before we do that,
Just see if there's something that you want to take away from this experience.
Do you want to remember,
Anything you want to learn from,
Or acknowledge?
Just having a conversation with yourself about that,
In a simple way,
In a kind way.
If your eyes have been closed,
Just taking good care here,
Just very slowly.
The eyes open,
The body move a little bit.
I am going to invite us into some writing prompts,
But if there's something that really wants to be written down right now,
Before it maybe leaves,
Just take a couple moments for you to write anything down that you don't want to,
Quote unquote,
Lose,
Or you want to remember.
A couple words,
A sentence.
