Hello,
Welcome to Meditation Rocks!
I'm Lucy.
Now today's meditation is what I call my bread and butter.
No,
We're not eating a sandwich.
It's really about the most simple of meditations that you can return to time and time again.
It's about being in the moment,
Being with your breath and hopefully feeling better.
So,
Go and find somewhere comfortable and let's get started.
So this meditation is what I call my bread and butter.
And it's the one that you can just leave on the shelf and whatever mood you're in or whatever time you've got,
You can use this meditation and this skill to hopefully help you feel a little bit better.
So it's all about being,
Being in the moment and being with yourself and being with your breath.
So we just find somewhere comfortable to get started.
I'm in my armchair with my legs crossed.
Maybe you're on a yoga mat or maybe even in your bed.
If you have your feet down on the floor,
It's really important to have your legs uncrossed and your feet flat on the floor.
Now what we're going to do is just sit up nice and tall.
So try and lengthen through the spine and let the shoulders drop down away from their ears.
And just bring your hands down onto your lap at this point.
Now it's a really personal choice about whether you close your eyes or not.
So if you want to close your eyes,
You can close them now.
Or you can just soften your gaze past the tip of your nose down onto the floor or maybe you have a nice view to look at.
So we'll just start by just being aware of where we are today.
That's the place,
But also how we're feeling.
So just taking a few moments to get comfortable,
To allow any sounds of life around us just to fade to the background.
Meditation is about turning the volume down on life.
So let the sounds fade.
And just allow whatever's on your mind to begin to just move over to one side if you can.
It's not easy.
And we'll start to feel the presence of the breath.
That's the first thing to do.
So just allow the breath now to feel the lungs and fill your body,
Feel its presence.
And then as you breathe out,
You just slowly allow the exhale and find some softness and kindness in the body,
In your muscles.
Just beginning to release any tension that might be there.
So just take a few moments to breathe in any way you choose,
But as you inhale,
Feel the presence of the breath,
Maybe hold it for a few moments.
And then as you exhale,
Just let go and find that softness within the body.
Now the breath we're going to use for this bread and butter simple meditation is called the Yuzhai breath,
And that's breathing in and out through your nose.
So if that becomes comfortable for you,
Just closing your mouth and beginning to breathe in and out through the nostrils.
And you might notice that there's a gushing or rushing sound as you exhale.
And we let this sound be our guide.
I call it my anchor.
It helps me to be in the moment.
Just take a few moments now to try and find an equal length of inhale and exhale,
Breathing in and out through your nose,
If that's comfortable for you.
If any thoughts begin to pop up,
Just allow them almost breathe them away to one side and bring your attention back to your inhale and your exhale.
This meditation grounds us in this moment.
So just watch every single breath.
Notice how it's unique and notice the moment that you're in.
If your mind begins to wander,
Just bring it back to your breath.
Almost imagining you can watch the rise and fall of the breath within the body.
You can feel it and you can feel this moment.
Try and keep the breath of equal length.
Inhale and exhale.
You may be counting in your mind.
Focusing on your breath,
Focusing on this moment.
Maybe now you can be aware of the contact points of the chair or the earth grounding you in this moment.
Can you feel your sit bones,
Your hands on your lap,
Maybe your feet?
As you inhale,
Just focusing on those contact points.
As you exhale,
Just allow yourself to be supported in this moment.
Simply watching your breath.
Everything else can wait.
Just for this last minute or so,
Just try and make your exhale slightly longer than your inhale,
Maybe by one beat or two.
Just make sure that you're fully letting go of any tension or resistance to your meditation on your exhale.
Every cycle of breath is different and unique.
Every moment is different and unique.
Whenever you're ready,
Just allowing the breath to return to a comfortable rhythm and flow for you.
Keeping your eyes closed for a few moments more,
Just acknowledge that you've acknowledged this moment and have gratitude for your practice today.
Keeping this feeling within for as long as you can.
Maybe you'll start to move fingers or just moving the head from side to side a little bit.
Chin down towards the chest.
Maybe you'll bring your hands together and give them a little rub to create some heat.
Placing the hands over the eyes,
Then you can blink your eyes open into darkness and warmth.
Removing your hands when you're ready and I'm here.
I hope that was a useful meditation for you that you can return to at any time,
Day or night,
Wherever you are in a car,
Parked up at a supermarket or waiting to pick up children,
Or at home in a quiet moment for you.
It really is the one I return to time and time again and it really is about acknowledging the moment and being present in the moment we're in.
I hope to see you again very soon.
You take care.
