Welcome,
I'm Lindsay and this meditation is about being here and being present.
So take a moment to set yourself up,
Perhaps sitting up on a bolster or a cushion.
Spine long,
Shoulders relaxed.
If you feel like lying down,
Make yourself comfortable.
Perhaps something under your knees or a small cushion under your head.
Pause while you settle your body.
And as you settle,
Notice if you're holding any tension in your body.
So soften your shoulders,
Soften your fingers.
Make sure you're not holding tension in your belly,
So you can breathe into the belly.
Check you've got space between your teeth and the tongue is relaxed.
And just take a moment to connect to your body parts on the ground.
And feel the ground supporting your whole body.
Feeling the places where the ground and your body make contact.
And then direct your attention now to your breathing.
Observe the inflow and outflow at your nostrils.
Perhaps the temperature of your breath as it enters and leaves.
And as your breath draws into your body,
Can you feel your belly expand?
And as your breath draws out,
Can you feel your belly gently draw in?
And the breath is one of the best tools we have to focus on present moment attention.
When our mind is running away with us,
Coming to our breath and observing can really help draw our attention out of our head and into our body.
So as you breathe here,
Noticing the rising and falling of your belly.
The gentle expansion and contraction.
Say internally,
I am here.
I am present.
I am here.
I am present.
When we meditate,
We train our mind to be more present.
To be more aware of present moment experiences.
Whether that's our own thoughts,
Emotions or our interactions with others.
And the more we meditate,
The more adaptive we become to negotiating daily challenges.
And the more we meditate,
The more we are able to do this with skillful awareness.
As humans,
We are regularly doing rather than being.
Yet we are known as human beings.
When we focus on being present,
We focus on being in the moment.
Rather than actively chasing the future or worrying about the past.
I invite you during this mindfulness practice to be present with whatever arises.
Comfort or discomfort.
Or perhaps holding them both in your awareness.
I invite you to resist slipping into the human default doing mode.
And observe your experience instead of trying to change it.
In this moment,
There is no ideal state you are trying to achieve.
The practice is being in your body.
It doesn't need to be different than how it is right now.
Repeating internally,
I am here.
I am present.
I am here.
I am present.
Allow your breath to be your anchor.
The mind will naturally drift to thought.
To to-do lists.
Notice when this happens.
Don't fight the thoughts or become frustrated.
You may get caught up in inner dialogue.
But remember this is fine.
This is your experience.
And perhaps consider that the moment of insight is awareness of the fluctuations of the mind.
And then returning to your breath.
Rising and falling.
Rising and falling.
Settle here for a moment as a curious observer of thoughts,
Sounds,
Any physical sensations.
Just noticing what's coming and going.
Perhaps the physical sensations are simply your body on the ground.
The breath within your body.
Or perhaps you've noticed some gripping or tension.
And if you notice this in your body,
Can you also notice a part of your body that feels at ease,
Comfortable?
And observing how we can experience both at the same time.
Being cognizant of these natural interruptions.
And returning to your breath.
Rising and falling.
Rising and falling.
And when we take time to meditate.
Especially with mindful attention.
We begin to strengthen and nurture our neural pathways.
That boost our ability to adapt to daily stresses.
And help to reduce the reactive nature of our fear and anxiety based pathways.
Consider that every time you meditate it positively affects your brain.
And how you respond to your internal and external world.
And all the brain asks of you is to keep showing up and doing the work.
Remembering that it doesn't have to be perfect.
And that we show up each time with self-compassion.
Training the mind to be present with what is,
Without judgement.
Returning now to the softness of your breath.
Notice again where your body expands and contracts with your breath.
I am here.
I am present.
This meditation is now complete.
If you have time to rest for longer.
That would be great.
But if it's time to start moving,
Do it slowly,
Mindfully.
Observing deeper breaths within your body,
But still slow and gentle.
And taking the time to gently stretch from top to bottom.
And making your way,
If you're lying down,
To seated.
Maybe placing both your hands over your heart centre and taking a breath into that space.
Bringing your palms to touch.
Namaste.
Thank you for listening.
