Prepare yourself for a 15 minute body,
Breath and sound practice.
I will guide you through the exercise and you can use the small stretches of silence to practice on your own.
Let go of any expectations you have about relaxation or meditation.
This exercise simply involves noticing the thoughts,
Feelings and emotions that are happening in your mind and body and then letting them go.
There is no need to respond to them,
No need to judge or analyse them.
This exercise is not about clearing your mind or stopping your thoughts.
It is about adopting the role of a curious observer and approaching the exercise with openness and compassion.
The purpose of this practice is to build up the skill of equanimity,
To allow you to respond with a greater degree of clarity and calm to the events in your everyday life.
So take some time to get comfortable.
You can sit cross-legged on the floor supporting yourself with a cushion or you could sit in a chair.
Sit up straight enough so you can breathe easily.
Close your eyes if you feel comfortable with it.
If not,
Just allow your gaze to drop softly to the spot on the floor in front of you.
Now take a moment to connect with your body.
Become aware of the feeling of your feet on the floor.
Listen to the clothes against your skin.
Allow your attention to meander up your legs and to your knees.
Allow each part of your body to become the anchor for your mind.
When you notice your mind wander from my instruction,
You may like to comment,
Oh,
That's interesting.
Or,
How about that?
Adopting the role of the non-judgmental observer.
And then gently guide your attention back to the part of the body we're attending to.
Allow your attention to brush over your torso,
To your shoulders and down your arms to your fingers.
See if you can tune in to each finger.
Without moving them,
See if you can get some kind of sensation from each finger.
It may be warmth or cool or tingling or there may be no sensation at all.
Just be aware of that.
Now move your attention up to your neck and your head.
Become aware of all of the tiny muscles around your scalp.
See if you can feel your hair.
Now I would like you to notice that you are breathing.
Bring your attention to your breath.
There is no need to change or control your breath.
Just allow it to happen without doing anything.
Just watch it come and go.
Now allow your breath to become the anchor for your mind.
Each time you notice your mind wander,
And it will,
Just gently bring it back to attending to your breath.
Allow your breath to become the most interesting thing in your life at the moment.
You may notice a slight temperature change between the in and the out breaths.
You may notice the pause at the end of each breath.
And if your mind wanders during this exercise,
Know that this is normal.
There is nothing wrong with you.
You are not a bad meditator.
Just simply and gently nudge your mind back to your breath,
Consciously cultivating this non-judgmental awareness.
And,
Remember,
If your mind wanders a thousand times,
Gently bring it back a thousand times.
When you notice your mind is not on your breath,
Ask yourself,
Where is it?
Notice what is tagging at your mind,
And then let it be,
And let it go.
Just bring it back.
.
.
You may notice feelings of boredom or discomfort coming up.
There is no need to attach to these.
Just allow them to be there and notice your experience and bring your attention back to your breath.
You may notice feelings of relaxation or wellbeing coming up.
There is no need to cling to or chase these.
Simply allow them to be there and bring your mind back to your breath.
Developing this skill of non-judgmental,
Non-attachment to your experiences.
You may like to allow the thoughts that come into your mind to pass through,
Like leaves floating down a river or clouds floating through the sky.
Watch them come and watch them go and then come back to your breath.
You may like to allow the thoughts that come into your mind to pass through,
Like leaves floating down a river or clouds floating through the sky.
Now leave your breath and broaden your awareness to attend to the sounds you hear around you.
Allow the sounds now to become the anchor for your mind.
There is no need to rest for too long on any one sound.
Just allow your attention to sweep around the room,
To perhaps seek sounds outside of the room.
Just attending to whatever is there.
There is no need to assess or judge these sounds.
Just notice them.
Just organize your mind Candles.
And when you feel ready,
Leave the sounds and come back to your breath.
See if you can notice one full breath in and out.
And now come back to your body.
Allow your attention to slowly sweep back down your body from your head until you're finally focusing on your feet on the floor.
And now the formal meditation practice comes to an end,
And it has to,
But the real meditation practice begins.
Your life is the real practice.
Open your eyes when you feel ready.
