Hi,
I'm Stacey DeGruggorio and welcome to our meditation for the day.
Let's start by finding a comfortable seat.
So wherever is most comfortable for you,
You don't have to sit on a cushion on the floor.
You can find a comfortable chair or couch,
Something that supports wakefulness.
And sit with your feet on the floor.
And imagine that there's a string at the top of your head,
Pulling your spine to align it.
So you have a tall spine.
Your shoulders are soft,
So checking in with your shoulders.
Making sure they're not too tight,
Allowing for a little softness here.
And I invite you to pay attention to what it feels like to sit here.
So maybe first by bringing your awareness to the room that you're in.
Getting a sense of the temperature,
Sounds,
Smells.
You can have your eyes closed or your eyes open just slightly,
Gazing at the floor.
Just really getting a sense of the room.
And then bringing your attention a little bit closer in to yourself sitting here.
And starting by bringing your awareness to your feet.
And you feel the pressure of the feet against the floor.
If you're wearing shoes or socks,
Maybe getting a sensation of what that feels like.
And then gradually moving your attention up with your calves,
Your shins.
Using the bend at your knee.
Is one knee bent a little more than the other?
Are they the same?
Can you even tell?
Do you get any sensation there?
Just something to know.
Moving your awareness to your thighs,
Maybe getting a sense of pressure there against whatever you're sitting on.
And your hips and your seat in the chair or couch or on the floor,
Wherever you are.
Noticing the bend at your hips.
Feeling that support.
Getting a sense of your torso.
Your shoulders.
Upper arms.
Elbows.
Your forearms.
Hands.
Fingers.
Noticing the bends.
Noticing where you feel touch against maybe your thighs.
Your hands against each other.
And moving your awareness up your arms to your neck and your head.
Are you getting a sense of any sensations of tension in your face?
So checking in with your brow.
The area around your eyes and inviting some softness there.
And then of your whole body sitting.
And then from here,
Allowing your attention to rest on your breath.
Where do you feel your breath most vividly in your body?
Perhaps in your nostrils.
Air flowing in and out.
Perhaps at your chest,
At your ribcage expanding and contracting.
Or maybe at your belly,
Your diaphragm.
Ballooning out with each inhalation.
And deflating with each exhalation.
Where do you feel your breath the most?
Allowing yourself to rest there.
Breathing in and breathing out,
No need to change anything about your breath.
And when your thoughts come in.
Because they will come in,
That's what our minds do.
Simply noting that you're thinking.
Without judgment,
Without saying,
Oh,
I'm so bad,
My mind is just going on and on.
With some kindness for yourself.
Bringing your attention back to the breath.
Every time that you notice that your mind has wandered,
Bring it back.
Breathing in and knowing that your breath is still there.
Breathing in and knowing that you are breathing in.
And breathing out and knowing that you are breathing out.
Each time your mind wanders,
Bring it back.
Breathing in and knowing that you are breathing out.
That moment that you notice that your mind has wandered is a moment of mindfulness.
It's a good thing when you catch yourself thinking and can redirect your attention back to your breath.
It means you're paying attention.
I think something helpful with thoughts is that you can note the type of thought that you're having.
So maybe you're remembering or you're planning.
Just noting that one of those things is happening can be helpful as you redirect your attention.
And this is without judgment,
Just a huh,
With maybe some curiosity.
I'm thinking about work again.
Bring it back.
And if you find that focusing on your breath is agitating,
That you feel more agitated by focusing on your breath,
You can choose something else to rest your focus on.
So maybe it is your feet on the floor.
Maybe it's your knees or your elbows,
Something neutral that you can keep bringing your attention back to.
So all the sensations that are around your feet or your hands or whatever it is that you choose.
Simply breathing in and breathing out.
And what's here to know about this focal point,
This breath?
Can you pay attention to the entire cycle of breathing?
The full inhalation and the little tiny pause between the inhalation and the exhalation.
Little tiny pause at the bottom of the exhalation before you inhale again.
Or if you're paying attention to your feet,
All the sensations around that,
The pressure,
The temperature,
The moisture,
Whatever it is,
It's bringing you to the present moment awareness.
It's not about clearing your head of thought.
It's about noticing when you're doing lots of thinking or your mind feels really active and noticing with compassion for yourself.
Noticing with kindness and curiosity.
And redirecting to what's actually happening right now.
Which is you sitting here listening to this recording.
And breathing.
Where does your mind go during the silence?
And in the moment,
You're not alone in this.
It's really common if it's happening.
Just keep bringing your attention back.
To whatever focal point you've chosen.
And in a moment,
I'm going to ring a bell to conclude this meditation.
And I invite you to listen to the sound of the bell in its entirety until you can't hear it anymore.
And when it's done ringing,
You can open your eyes and return your gaze to the room.
And thank you for joining me.
I really appreciate you listening.
Have a great day.
