The ABC of mindfulness.
This is a mini meditation that combines all the fundamental aspects of mindfulness.
The A of awareness,
The B of breath,
And the C of compassion.
It's a chance to shift from our doing mode into our being mode,
While deliberately noticing our relationship with whatever we are experiencing.
It can be helpful to do this as a short daily practice until you become familiar with it.
And then you'll find in the midst of your day that you can use it spontaneously,
If you're feeling stressed or experiencing something unpleasant or unwelcome.
We do not use this practice to block out uncomfortable experiences,
But rather to enhance our ability to cope with them by not adding extra resistance to whatever we feel.
So let's begin by noticing your posture and maybe straightening your spine a little.
And then it can be helpful to visualize in your mind's eye an hourglass with its wide top,
Narrow neck,
And wide base.
And with your eyes open or in a soft gaze,
Silently ask yourself,
What am I aware of right now?
What information is coming through my senses?
And one by one,
Taking the time to focus your awareness first on what you're seeing and hearing.
Maybe noticing smells or tastes in the mouth.
And also tuning into the sense of touch as your body rests down on the surface beneath.
Coming to what you're feeling inside your body.
Becoming aware of sensations in your muscles,
Your bones,
And all the organs and the digestive system.
And next,
Asking yourself,
What is my experience right now in my thoughts and my feelings?
And whatever you're aware of,
Seeing if you can recognize and accept your experience,
Even if it is uncomfortable,
Unpleasant,
Or unwelcome.
And next,
We bring our attention to the breath,
The bee of our practice.
So visualizing the narrow neck of the hourglass and gathering your attention around the breath.
Allowing each in-breath and each out-breath to follow one after the other.
You may find it helpful to note at the back of your mind,
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
As the inhale and the exhale moves through your body.
And doing this as best you can,
Using the breathing as an anchor to bring you into the present,
Helping you tune into a state of awareness and stillness.
And now visualizing the wide base of the hourglass,
Opening the field of your awareness around the breath so that it includes a sense of the body as a whole,
As well as your posture and any facial expression.
Letting the attention expand to the whole of the body,
Including any sense of discomfort or tension or resistance.
And if these sensations are present,
Then we bring a compassionate awareness to them.
We can imagine breathing into them on the in-breath and then softening and opening around them on the out-breath.
Letting the breath soothe and calm the body.
You may also like to say to yourself on the out-breath,
Using a gentle voice tone,
It's okay.
Whatever I'm experiencing,
It's okay.
Let me feel it.
It's here already,
So I may as well be present for it.
Starting to open our awareness to thoughts and feelings.
Once again offering some self-compassion.
It's okay.
Whatever thoughts or feelings are here,
It's okay.
Let me feel them.
They're already present,
So I may as well move towards them with kindness.
And as best you can,
Bringing this expanded and compassionate awareness to the next moments of your day.
