Hello,
This is Linda G.
Robert,
And during today's meditation,
I'll invite you to put your attention on your breath,
Then to your body,
Your thoughts,
And your breath again.
So let's begin.
Begin by finding a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Allow your hands to rest softly on your lap or by your sides.
Close your eyes,
If that feels natural to you,
Or simply soften your gaze.
Now take a nice slow breath in,
And gently release it.
And again,
Breathe in through your nose,
And exhale through your mouth,
Letting your shoulders drop.
And one more time,
Inhale,
And exhale,
Letting the body arrive fully into this moment.
And now I invite you to bring your attention to your breathing.
Notice the gentle rise and the fall of your chest.
Notice the air entering through your nose,
Cool.
And as it leaves your body,
It's warmer.
Just notice that,
That as it goes in,
It's cool,
And warmer as it leaves your nose or your mouth.
Now there's no need to change your breath here at all.
Just observe your breath.
Each inhale,
And each exhale,
A gentle rhythm that grounds you.
And if your mind begins to wander,
That's okay.
Simply notice that it has wandered,
And kindly bring it back to the breath.
Now allow your awareness to expand to your body.
Notice the points of contact,
Your feet on the floor,
Or your body supported by the chair or the bed.
Notice any sensations present in your body,
Perhaps a place of comfort or a place of tension.
You don't need to fix anything.
You don't need to change anything.
Just notice it.
And if you do find some discomfort,
See if you can breathe into that space gently,
As though you're giving it a little room.
So continue to breathe and bring your awareness to your body.
Let's continue this for a few more minutes.
And there are different ways of doing this.
We're not necessarily doing a body scan here.
We're just noticing different parts of our body.
And you can choose to start with your feet,
Move your way up to the top of your head,
Or you could simply put more attention towards your arms or your legs.
It doesn't matter.
I simply want you to put your attention towards your body,
Different parts of your body.
And while you're doing that,
If you notice your mind drifting to some thoughts or drifting to some sounds,
It's okay.
It will happen.
Just bring your awareness back to a different part of your body,
Noticing the sensations that you feel in your body.
Perhaps you're noticing some sensations in your face or behind your neck,
For example.
Just pay attention to what is happening in your body at this moment.
And it's not like you have to look for something,
Because there might not be any sensations at all in your body.
Just notice that.
There are no specific sensations at this moment in your body.
So just keep putting your attention on different parts of your body for the next minute or so.
Now,
I invite you to shift your attention to some thoughts that you may be experiencing or perhaps some emotions that you might be feeling in your body.
So like clouds drifting across the sky,
Simply observe those thoughts or simply notice the emotions as they come and as they go.
Notice a thought and then let it pass.
Notice a feeling and perhaps allow it to be there.
Whether it's a thought or a feeling,
There's no need to judge or to analyze it.
Just notice it.
You're being the witness here.
You're being the observer,
Holding everything with kindness.
So let's continue this for a few more minutes to notice thoughts,
To notice feelings or emotions.
And no judgment,
But simply to see them as if they were clouds floating by.
And now please bring your attention back to your breathing,
Inhaling gently and exhaling slowly.
Allow yourself to rest in this calm awareness.
Just breathing again,
Noticing your breath,
Noticing that you are breathing.
And what's interesting about this is that sometimes we notice that our breath has different patterns.
Sometimes we need to breathe more deeply than other times.
And sometimes we take some short breaths.
There's no repetitive patterns necessarily when it comes to our breath.
So fascinating.
Alright,
We are nearing the end of this practice.
And I do invite you now to take a moment to appreciate yourself for pausing,
For noticing and for simply being here.
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
And when you are ready,
Slowly open your eyes,
Bringing your awareness back to your day.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
