Welcome.
My name's Lisa McCruin,
And I'm so glad that you're here.
And I really mean that because the fact that you pressed play,
That you carved out even five minutes for yourself,
That matters.
That's the beginning of everything.
So welcome.
Welcome to this practice,
And welcome to yourself.
Let's just start simple.
So find a position that feels comfortable to you.
You might be sitting in a chair,
Or on the floor,
Or lying down.
There's no one right way.
And whatever feels easiest and supportive for your body right now in this minute,
That's the right choice.
So if it feels okay,
Gently soften or close your eyes.
Whatever feels natural to you right now.
And then just take a moment to notice you're here.
You showed up.
That's the whole first lesson of meditation,
Just showing up.
So I want to let you in on a little something.
And often I hear this from people who are beginning meditation.
We think that our minds aren't supposed to wander,
That we're trying to control them.
Your mind is going to wander.
It's going to think about the to-do list,
What you're making for dinner,
The email that you have to send.
And this is not failure.
This is completely,
Perfectly,
100% normal.
And the practice of meditation isn't about having an empty mind.
It's noticing when your mind has wandered and gently,
Kindly coming back.
I like to call it shepherding your attention back to where you'd like it.
And that gentle return,
That is the practice.
So every single time you shepherd your attention back to our focus,
You're meditating.
So let's try this together.
Feel your body sitting or lying down or being supported.
Imagine the earth underneath you.
Feel gravity supporting you being here.
And then now,
Bring your attention to your breath.
You don't need to change it or control it.
Just notice it.
The natural rise and fall.
The way your belly,
Ribs,
And chest move as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
So just take a moment to notice and take a few breaths like this,
Just breathing in and breathing out.
And if your mind wanders,
Just let it be.
That's okay.
Just notice it without judgment and come back to your breath,
In and out.
That's it,
Dear one.
That's meditation.
It really is that simple,
But it's not easy sometimes.
It's simple,
But not easy.
Take one more breath now.
This time,
Maybe a little bit deeper,
Just inhaling in,
Maybe do a count of four.
And then sighing out through the mouth.
When you're ready,
Gently let your eyes open and just for a moment,
Just notice.
Notice if something feels a little different than when you started.
You just meditated and you can do this again tomorrow and I'll be here.
