Traveling with Awareness This is an eyes-open mindfulness practice,
Which you can do as the driver or a passenger,
Or when taking public transport.
It is an invitation to use your travel time to strengthen and deepen your capacity for awareness,
By reducing distraction.
Developing awareness means cultivating a flexible attentiveness to your environment,
Both inner and outer.
Distraction is very common in our lives and impairs our ability to carry out daily life tasks effectively,
Such as driving safely.
Distraction also makes us more stressed and anxious,
Which can impact the people around us too.
So let's begin.
Setting an intention to notice more of what is happening in the world around you,
As well as within your own body,
Heart and mind.
If you're driving,
Keeping conscious of the road and other traffic,
While simultaneously bringing awareness to the body,
And settling into a dignified posture.
This is a reminder that you are doing something worthwhile by enhancing your capacity for awareness.
Whether you are sitting in a car or standing on a bus or train,
Feeling the points of contact with the surface beneath you,
Through your feet or your seat.
Maybe shifting your weight a little,
So that you become fully attentive to these bodily sensations.
And once you feel more grounded,
Taking five deep breaths to centre your attention within the body.
Now opening your awareness to the world around you with a sense of curiosity.
What images are you seeing right now?
What sounds are you hearing?
Taking in the panorama of the world as it presents itself to you in this moment.
The next time you come to a stop,
Or if it feels safe to do so,
You can also twist in your seat and look around you,
From one side to the other.
This is a way of calming down the nervous system,
So that we feel safer.
We all have a subconscious system for detecting danger known as neuroception.
So by opening to the world around you and gazing behind as well as in front,
You can reassure your own body and mind that the situation in this moment is safe.
Now bringing attention back to the body and scanning from top to toe,
Seeing if you can detect little pockets of tension.
Starting at the crown of the head and moving down over the forehead.
Is your brow furrowed with concentration?
Can you soften and smooth out your forehead a little?
Moving down through the face and the mouth and the jaw,
Noticing if the teeth are clenched or the jaw tight.
Feeling the connection between the jaw and the neck and the shoulders.
And if you roll your shoulders back and down,
Can you also allow the jaw to soften and release?
When it feels safe to do so,
Maybe taking some little neck rolls too,
By imagining that you're drawing a circle with your nose.
One direction and then the other.
Can you let the upper body soften down a little?
And then moving your attention through the torso,
The rib cage and into the belly.
Where do you feel your breath?
Is it in the upper chest or the ribs?
Or down in the abdomen?
Can you invite a slower,
Deeper,
Abdominal breath?
And see whether this allows you to relax a little more.
And taking five deep breaths here,
Letting them anchor you as you once again open to the outer environment,
Taking in the world as it moves past you.
And now continuing the body scan,
Sinking your attention into the lower body.
Are your buttocks holding tension?
Can they soften a little on your next out breath?
Scanning down through the thighs,
Over the knees,
The calf muscles and the shins,
The ankles and down to the feet.
Maybe wiggling your toes a little to ground your awareness.
And then imagining that as you inhale,
You can fill your whole body with breath,
From the toes right up to the crown of the head.
As you exhale,
Feeling the body getting heavier,
Connecting you more consciously to the surface beneath and letting any tension flow out of the body.
And taking three more full body breaths.
Now using your journey to tune into the world of the senses more vividly.
Letting your eyes absorb images of the world around you.
Gazing at the colours,
The textures,
The play of light.
Are the things you see built by humans or part of the natural world?
Or perhaps you can see both simultaneously.
Can you notice other people in their vehicles or walking on the side of the road?
Where do you find your attention is focused?
And when you notice that you've zoomed your attention into a particular person or thing,
Can you open out once again and take in the panorama?
Next,
Becoming more aware of sounds from outside the vehicle,
The sounds of tires on the road or from inside the vehicle,
Like the sound of my voice.
There may be continuous sounds or short sharp sounds.
Seeing if you can allow them to play in the soundscape rather than trying to grab on to some preferred sounds or pushing other sounds away.
Aware too of the sense of touch.
If you're driving,
Maybe you're feeling the steering wheel.
If you're a passenger,
Noticing the sensations of touch,
Such as clothing against the skin or the temperature of the air.
Are there any tastes or smells entering your senses and bringing you into this present moment?
Shifting once again from the world of the senses to our inner world,
Our interoception.
What is happening inside your body?
Perhaps the stomach is gurgling or maybe feelings of tension have crept back into the shoulders or the neck.
Maybe a sight or a sound triggers an emotional reaction.
As the image or sound departs,
Does the emotion free itself as well?
Or does it linger for a while?
Bringing awareness now to the mental world,
The thoughts,
Images,
Ideas.
Are you able to stay in the present or do you find you're carried off into memories or planning?
And if you find the mind gets flooded with thoughts or feelings,
Try shifting your attention back to three belly breaths.
While still keeping a subtle awareness of the body,
Heart and mind,
Now gazing upwards a little,
Aware of the horizon,
The sky above.
It might be daytime or nighttime,
Clear or cloudy.
Getting a sense of the vastness of the space in which you are held as you move on your journey.
Imagining a bird's eye view,
Witnessing all the vehicles moving beneath and all the people in all the vehicles,
Each aware of their own bodily sensations,
Feelings and thoughts.
Bringing your practice to a close with five more deep,
Smooth abdominal breaths.
Checking in with the quality of your awareness now.
Perhaps you feel a little less distracted or a little more present.
Are you able to notice habitual pockets of tension in your body and bring some kindness to them so that they begin to release?
And as you continue on your journey,
Noticing how your attention can move from the inner world to the outer world as necessary,
Whilst holding both simultaneously in your awareness.
In this way you learn to be both attentive and relaxed at the same time and your travel time can open you to the vast experience of awareness.
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