A brief meditation to increase awareness and presence.
Whether we experience a pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral mood,
Increasing our awareness and the ability to be with whatever is present cultivates resilience and ultimately equanimity.
Start by taking a moment to settle into just being present.
Know where to go,
Nothing to do.
And find a posture that is comfortable.
It might be sitting or lying down.
And as you start to relax,
Bring your attention to the environment that you are in.
Orienting to the room,
Feeling your body sitting here or lying here.
Feeling your breathing,
Just the subtle movement of the body breathing.
And you can close your eyes or just allow them to remain open.
Closing the eyes can help to reduce distraction.
And if open,
Just find a soft,
Unfocused gaze.
This is your practice.
There is no right or wrong way to meditate.
All that is ultimately required is your presence and your attention in this moment.
Take a deep breath at your own pace,
Settling into the present moment.
Paying attention to the full inhale,
The expansion of the chest.
Maybe taking a second or two to pause between the inhale and the exhale.
Slowly releasing,
Allowing the exhale to be slow and noticing the release of tension.
And now find a comfortable place to focus your attention,
A kind resting place.
It might be the natural rhythm of the breath,
Noticing the gentle rise and fall of the chest or belly.
Recognizing the ease,
The natural flow of the body breathing.
Or it could be sound.
It might be easier to focus your attention,
Noticing how sounds come and go,
The silence in between.
Or body sensations,
Finding something comfortable and relaxed,
Like the hands resting on your lap or the feet on the floor.
Just notice where it is easy and comfortable to rest your attention.
This is the place to return during meditation,
A place that is often called an anchor,
To return your attention when you get caught up in thinking or lost in stories or planning your day.
Once you notice that you've become lost in thinking,
Simply return to your resting place.
This is mindfulness.
And now just rest for a few moments on your own with the natural rhythm of breathing or with sounds or attention to your body,
Focusing your attention and being present in this moment.
And now deepening the sense of being present by grounding your awareness in the body,
Feeling any sensations that you notice in your body,
Maybe the weight of sitting in the chair or have the feet rest on the floor,
Taking a moment to be fully aware of being here in this moment in the body.
If you notice any tension,
See if you can bring just a little more ease,
Maybe on an exhale,
Just letting go and relaxing.
And now notice the quality of presence without judgment,
Letting go of any story or expectation of things being a certain way.
Notice how you're showing up in this moment.
What is present?
Can you notice your mood?
Sometimes labeling it can be useful.
Maybe you feel relaxed or restless.
Notice without being judgmental or insisting it be a certain way,
Allowing yourself to just be with what is present.
Maybe recognizing your mood by the quality or the nature of what is present.
Is it pleasant or unpleasant?
No analysis,
Just noticing,
Able to be with what is so.
And can you recognize your emotional state?
Maybe sensations that you notice in your body,
The felt sense of how your body is feeling this way and how do you know?
Are there sensations that are significant or maybe the lack of sensations?
Maybe there's a narrative or a story that keeps showing up with your mood.
To the best of your ability,
See if you can allow yourself to be present with what is aware in the moment and letting go of any identification of right and wrong or good and bad.
Just allowing and accepting with a kind attention what is present in your body,
Your mood,
Your emotions.
And can you be curious with a kind intention,
A kind of unconditionally friendly agreement with yourself to just accept what is in this present moment without a story,
Without needing to justify or blame just this as it is.
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or maybe just the sense of something neutral.
And now the invitation is to extend a loving kindness to yourself in this moment for being here,
For taking the time to be present with yourself,
To rest for a few moments in awareness.
We have been conditioned to care for our bodies with a healthy diet and exercise and learning to be present with yourself and your thoughts and recognizing the true nature of your thoughts and your being is a kind of mind fitness,
A befriending of oneself.
Take this moment to internalize your appreciation for taking the time to be present and care for yourself,
Acknowledging the work you are doing,
Cultivating presence,
Resilience,
And equanimity.
You might also bring this in a form of a gesture by placing your hand over your heart or maybe bringing a simple phrase of kind words to yourself.
Thank you.
I care about you.
I care about this,
Being fully present and caring for yourself.
And in closing,
If you're comfortable,
Maybe extend this kindness to someone you care about deeply or to someone or a group that you know or that may be struggling or perhaps a community you serve,
Allowing them to be in your mind and heart and wishes of wellbeing and ease from suffering.
And as you move into your day,
Consider staying open minded and kind,
Being curious and unconditionally friendly to yourself and others.
Thank you for your meditation and thank you for spending this time with me.
