Music One core premise of mindfulness is that life is inherently changing and uncertain,
And our resilience relies on how we relate to that fact.
Mindfulness doesn't mean everything's fine or that we're calm all the time.
We aim for patience,
Clarity,
And then,
When it's time,
Skillful actions.
Mindful awareness,
Seen with clarity,
Can affect almost anything.
Whatever we face,
We carve out a moment to settle before deciding what comes next,
Instead of remaining caught up in reactivity,
Anger,
And fear.
It takes effort and training sometimes to find a balance between accepting what we cannot change and seeking out where to actively put our effort.
Take a moment when you're able to explore that balance.
The heart of mindfulness means doing our best to navigate our experience,
Even our crises,
With both precision and compassion.
So as you start focusing right now on what it feels like to walk,
Noticing the physical sensation of each step,
Notice your foot rising,
The shift in weight in your body,
And then your foot returning to the ground.
You might label each step as step,
Or you might count small runs of steps,
Perhaps up to 10,
And then start again at one.
And also noting your mind's tendency to add on to your experience,
Often in ways that complicate even the most challenging moments.
So as you begin your practice,
Your mind may be already wandering into the future,
Or the past,
Or going round and round a problem.
When you catch yourself lost in thoughts like that,
Come back again to one step.
Noticing if your mind has wandered again,
And coming back again to the next few steps.
And now if you like expanding your awareness,
Notice sounds around you.
With a sense of unforced and balanced effort,
Notice smells,
Touch like the feeling of the wind and sights.
With a sense of strength and perhaps appreciation,
Immerse yourself in the physical sensation of the walk that you're taking.
If a thought or a feeling holds your awareness,
Becomes a distraction,
See if you're able to practice letting go a little.
Notice that sense of getting hooked or tied up in it,
And then come back again to that immediate physical sensation of each step.
Noticing those thoughts,
Return yourself again to the physical sensation of taking your walk.
And now if you like expanding your awareness,
Notice sounds around you.
And now if you like expanding your awareness,
Notice sounds around you.
For the last few minutes of the practice,
Notice sounds around you.
If you'd like focusing on a sense of kindness and compassion,
You're not alone right now,
Everyone around the world is struggling to get by.
So as you walk taking in your reality,
This is what is right now for me.
This is where I am,
Observing your emotional state,
Your state of mind and thoughts.
And then as you walk,
Wishing yourself well,
Wishing yourself whatever you would,
Your closest friends right now.
May I be happy and at ease.
May I recover my sense of resolve and strength.
If it feels comfortable for you,
You might also expand that.
Picture your family and friends in the same way.
May we all find our sense of resolve and ease.
May we all stay healthy and safe.
And if while you're walking,
You encounter other people,
Or even pass other houses,
You might take a moment to offer that stranger the same wishes.
Whoever they are,
Whatever their life experience,
Everyone has their struggles,
Everyone dealing with similar crises,
Or their own crises.
So as you pass these other people or their homes,
Wishing them well.
May you find health and happiness.
And while of course you may continue with any part of this practice,
As we end the formal meditation,
The formal mindfulness practice,
Expanding your awareness to all beings everywhere,
Even the ones you find most difficult and challenging.
Everyone in some way driven by a motivation to be free of suffering,
To be free of stress,
To be healthy,
To be happy.
May everyone everywhere throughout the world find a sense of resilience,
Stay healthy,
Find happiness,
Or whatever words feel most natural to you right now.
You
