The 10-minute meditation.
Finding a comfortable position either sitting on the floor,
On a chair or on the couch.
Just make sure that your back is straight.
Roll your shoulders back and let your arms and hands rest gently in your lap.
And start to breathe in and out through the nose,
Deepening the breath so that you're using your belly to draw in a deeper inhalation.
And then completely exhaling all the air from your lungs as you breathe out.
Just noticing the subtle sensations of the breath as it moves through the nose.
Observing the feeling of air at the level of the nostrils.
Observing the subtle movements of the body as you breathe in and breathe out.
You can even observe that small pause between the inhale and the exhale.
That moment of stillness.
Continue to allow the breath to anchor you into this moment.
And any time the mind wanders away to a thought or a feeling or a noise,
Just see where the mind goes and without frustration or judgment,
Redirect your focus back to the breath once again.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Now I'd like for you to shift your focus,
Moving away from the breath and into the body.
We're going to start to observe any sensations that you can detect at the level of the body.
A good place to start is to notice the points of contact.
What surfaces is your body touching?
Perhaps your feet against the ground.
You can feel the points of pressure of your thighs and back and shoulders against the chair or the couch or the floor.
And so just noticing these points of contact,
Just observing.
What does it feel like for your body to touch the surfaces that support it?
And now going even deeper inside the body.
Are there any sensations that you can be aware of?
Maybe there's a grumbling in your stomach.
Or maybe you feel tingling or warmth in your hands or at the top of your head.
Perhaps there are some areas that are uncomfortable.
You might feel tense or tight or sore.
It's important to allow whatever the sensations are to be as they are.
Just accept whatever comes up and also notice how the moment changes and how your experience changes over time.
Allow the mind to just scan the body to notice any feelings,
Any physical sensations.
Making sure not to evaluate what you're feeling as good or bad.
Just being completely accepting of what you experience.
And now we're going to shift our focus once again,
Bringing our attention to sound.
And so allowing the ears to listen.
What noises do you hear in your environment?
Of course,
The sound of my voice.
Just noticing what the pure sensation of sound is like for you.
And then extending into your room.
Perhaps you hear a slight buzzing sound.
Maybe you can hear the sound of a dog barking in the distance or construction or a car driving by.
Even the sound of your own breath.
Allow the ears to open and engage in mindful listening.
Try not to evaluate what you're hearing.
Try not to figure it out or understand what it is.
Don't get the rational mind involved.
Just listen.
Just notice sound and let that be your focus.
And any time the mind gets distracted,
Notice where you go and come back to sound.
And now we're going to bring our attention back to the breath once again.
Just observing the inhale and exhale through the nose and allowing that to be your focus for the remainder of this practice.
And not trying to change the breath in any way here.
Just allow yourself to breathe naturally and normally.
Don't force the breath or lengthen it or deepen it if that doesn't feel right.
Just breathe and watch as that rhythm and pattern changes from one moment to the next.
And as this practice comes to an end,
Taking time to acknowledge the importance of pausing and bringing your attention inward.
And when you feel ready,
You can open your eyes to the room.
