Greetings.
So glad you've joined me.
Happy to get to practice together.
I will guide you through kind of some simple posture directions.
For those of you who are new to meditation.
So let's kind of explore together a short and simple breath meditation.
May it be fruitful for you.
So I'll give some general directions mostly for sitting out a few pieces for for standing or lying down.
So the most common practice meditation for most people is done in sitting because it kind of supports longevity and also awakeness and alertness.
But do whatever is right for your body and right for you in this moment.
Standing meditation posture can really support awakeness is definitely can be more challenging for longer poses and quite easily to sleep which may be what you need.
So definitely listen for that.
Or many of us are very sleep deprived these days.
And if you but but lying can be really good for if you have chronic pain especially back problems can be one of the more supportive positions or if you just really kind of want to keep the energy level low if you're just waking up or if you're heading into bed.
Lying can be really helpful as well.
If you want to stay awake I recommend if you're lying you can keep your one hand one hand kind of propped up in the air so the the bicep and the elbow are on the ground and the one hand up in the air so that if you do fall asleep it kind of wakes you up if that's what you need right now.
So for sitting if you're kind of finding your way into a sitting posture there's not a lot that you need to you don't need to be on the ground or on a special meditation cushion or anything.
Being in a chair is totally fine.
Don't feel like you need to be in a lotus posture that is the common kind of cross legged posture that many people associate with meditation.
That is absolutely not necessary.
It's difficult.
It's only really helpful if you're or possible if you're quite flexible in the hips and the knees.
So find a posture that is is right for your body and that you can hold for a while without having to move a lot.
So that can absolutely be in a chair or the edge of your bed.
I like to take two pillows and have put them underneath me and kind of almost like in a squatting position but on my knees on my the front of my calves is facing down the ground.
My knees are touching the ground as well.
That's what I like and supports me for long longer times.
So kind of support you in finding a good posture.
And once you have found that place for that position for for the meditation for today start with having the feet if you're sitting in a chair let's say the feet just kind of flat on the ground.
It should be flat.
They shouldn't be dangling.
They should be supported.
They shouldn't be kind of out in front of you on your heels.
They shouldn't be flat on the ground.
Your knees are bent and and then working up the body.
You want to kind of bring a recklessness to erect but not stiffness to the spine.
You have almost like you're feeling this light gentle tug upward on the very very top of your head.
So you're not kind of straining upwards.
You're not leaning backwards or forwards.
But you have this kind of nice week alert openness to her torso.
And generally leaning not having your back supported by the back of the chair is good.
It helps support awakeness and aliveness.
If you need the back for the back of the chair for back support.
Absolutely do that.
Do what's right for your body.
And then it can be nice little bits or hunched.
So maybe roll the shoulders back once or twice.
Settle down.
And then the hands.
The hands can rest kind of whatever feels nice and natural and useful for for a few minutes.
They can be facing up or down on your thighs or on your knees.
They do not need to be any particular posture or anything like that.
Again,
There's a lot of images associated with exactly how the hand should be.
But in the way I'm teaching,
Just let them be restful.
Good.
Kind of coming into stillness as we settle into our posture.
And then as we kind of work our way up,
We're just kind of making sure that we're not facing our head too far forward down or going back and looking up just kind of a natural street ness of the,
Of the gaze and of the head position.
And notice,
Maybe we often carry a lot of tension in our face and our jaw just notices you kind of get to the,
To the head.
So even if there's any tension in the jar,
If it feels good to kind of just,
Just let that melt away.
And if you're standing a lot of the same stuff is true.
You want to have a nice,
Just kind of a weakness,
Alertness,
Straight up,
Ness,
Roll the shoulders back.
Feet should be nice,
Flat on the ground,
Kind of right underneath your hips.
Arms are resting at the sides.
Settling in for our time together.
So today,
We're going to do a simple breath meditation together.
So,
The instructions here are quite simple.
You're going to look for.
Maybe it's very obvious to where the physical sensations of your breath are most obvious to you and most present.
There's no right or wrong I'm just going to walk through some of the places you may feel the breath.
And if you don't notice it immediately no problem at all.
Down shifting from whatever speed we're running at down to what is happening right now.
And sometimes it takes a bit so no problem at all if it takes a while.
Just being patient.
Just,
I'm just looking.
You may notice your breath.
And the rise and fall of your belly.
You may notice it in the in and out of your chest.
Maybe kind of a general expansion of the whole torso.
Like a balloon inflating and deflating.
Maybe feel light movement of the shoulders.
You may feel in some of the various areas of the face and the mouth and the nose.
So you may feel it actually coming in and out of your nose.
Might feel it on the tip of your,
The top of your lip right below the nose.
It's very subtle though,
Especially if you're kind of breath is slow and calm.
Very light,
Or there might be a very light feeling of change in the shape of the kind of the back of your mouth and your throat.
Again,
There's no wrong or right answer the goal here is just to be looking to see where do you make contact with the breath.
And when we were born.
It's been doing its thing.
And now,
And now we're focusing on the physical sensations of the breath.
And the reason for this is that we're using it as an anchor for attention.
One of the skills you will gain as you explore mindfulness is placing your attention where you would like it to be and strengthening your ability to keep it there so keep like strengthening your focus and your longevity and focus.
The breath is an amazing teacher for this.
Because it's always there.
As long as we're alive.
So,
Spend a few moments on your own.
If you haven't found a place yet just resting down no need to stress or strive for finding where the breath is most obvious to you.
And if you haven't found it,
Kind of pick,
Pick that one stay with that one.
Just kind of hold your attention on that the all the physical sensations going on with it and the pause out.
Pause.
Anytime that you realize your attention has wandered to thinking to wherever else there's not the physical sensations of breath.
All you're going to do when you notice that you've strayed.
Just give an inward smile.
Notice,
And then gently return your attention back to the physical sensations of breath.
Whatever the anchor is that you chose.
Very quickly.
Our attention.
Like a little puppy will run off somewhere else.
No problem.
Just notice when it's happened.
Gently guide your attention back to your anchor.
Notice I have said anything about changing the breath.
However it is,
Is just fine.
We're noticing,
Whatever it's like in this moment.
Whether it's shallow or deep.
It's long or short.
Just accepting our breath,
However it is.
We can accept our breath however it is.
We build capacity to accept other pieces of our experience in a moment in our existence.
However they are.
This is what my breath is like right now.
Last few moments of our meditation together.
Just bringing our attention back straight.
Noticing kind of overall how you feel now.
You feel different from when you started.
And thanking yourself for taking this little moment of your day.
For yourself.
Thank you for joining me.
