Meditation in Daily Life 2

Meditation Guided by Martine Batchelor. This is a sitting mindfulness practice.

Transcript

So now let's try to do the mindfulness meditation.

So what is important to see that you can be mindful in all aspects of our life,

But when we are doing the mindfulness meditation generally it's in three formal posture one could say.

We can do sitting meditation,

Standing meditation,

Lying down meditation and walking meditation.

So today we could just do sitting meditation.

So I assume we all are sitting on the chair or possibly you might be sitting on the floor and I hope you have a comfortable posture.

And what is important is that the back is relatively straight but not rigid.

So in a way again finding that balance between alertness and relaxation.

So you want the back to be straight but not too straight but not too loose either.

So you want just to have kind of like a upright posture you could say.

The shoulders are open then of course you can have the hand like you see in the pictures,

The hand on each other and the finger touching or you can have your hand on your side or your hand between your side whatever works for you.

Then there is a question of the eyes.

You can have the eyes closed,

The eyes half open gazing gently in front of you or you can have the eyes wide open.

So again what works for you?

If you have the eyes closed then I would not recommend that if you are sleepy because then you're going to be a little kind of getting even more sleepy if you close your eyes when you meditate.

Then if you are agitated you might want to close your eyes.

So you can just use them as a tool.

If you feel a little sleepy then open your eyes a little bit.

If you feel a little agitated you could close them.

See what works for you.

But if you close them you close them gently.

If you have them half open you gaze gently in front of you without fixing anything.

You must have a very vague gaze.

And then generally what I would recommend is to start with a feeling of elongation like the like the head going toward the sky and then you settle.

And you settle and gently you bring your attention to the breath.

Just resting the awareness on the sensation we experience when we breathe.

So we feel the breath coming in and we feel the breath,

The air coming out.

The air coming in a little cooler and the air coming out a little warmer.

So just being mindful of that.

So we are not forcing the breath in any way.

We're not controlling the breath.

This is not a yoga exercise.

We're just using the breath as an anchor.

So we wait for the breath to happen and we follow it.

So we're not forcing the breath in any way.

We're just using the breath as an anchor.

So we're not forcing the breath in any way.

We're just using the breath as an anchor.

As you're aware of the breath,

You're mindful of the breath in a caring and careful way.

Some thought might arise.

You see the thoughts and then you remember your intention to be mindful of the breath,

To have the breath in the foreground of your experience and then gently you come back to the breath,

To the sensation of the air coming in,

The air coming out.

You might hear some sounds.

Let them arise and pass away in the background and in the foreground,

Coming back to the breath.

Let them arise and pass away in the background.

Coming back to the breath.

Coming back to the whole experience right now.

Let them arise and pass away in the background.

Let them arise and pass away in the background.

Let them arise and pass away in the background.

You might be mindful of the breath,

The air coming in,

Coming out.

Then suddenly some planning emerge.

Yes,

I could do this,

I could do that and then can I make the choice to do that later?

And gently right now come back to the breath,

Resting in the breath,

Resting in the whole moment.

Let them arise and pass away in the background.

Resting our attention on the breath and suddenly some memory occurs.

Oh yeah,

This happened.

How could this happen?

Can we let the past be in the past?

Can I creatively engage with this moment through the breath right now?

Yes,

I can.

Yes,

I can.

Being mindful of the breath and suddenly a sensation in the body in the background catch my attention.

It's a little uncomfortable,

So it's a little more powerful than the breath,

Which is quite neutral and faint.

So I'm aware of this sensation coming and going and can I put the breath back in the foreground and have that sensation in the background?

Yes,

I can.

Yes,

I can.

We are mindful of the breath,

The air coming in,

Coming out through the nostril,

All the abdomen expanding,

Contracting,

And suddenly our attention is caught.

We have a funny feeling,

A funny emotion,

Something a little different.

Can we just stay there instead of going into the meaning of it,

The association with that,

The description?

It is just a strange,

Funny,

Little different feeling in the body.

Then can I go back to the breath in the foreground and that funny feeling,

A little different in the background,

Coming and going,

Changing within itself?

Now looking deeply into the air that we breathe,

Asking ourselves experientially,

What is this air that I breathe?

Realizing that we breathe the same air with everything that is alive around us.

So coming back to the breath,

Coming back to a deep connection with everything that is alive right now.

So coming back to the breath,

Coming back to a deep connection with everything that is alive right now.

Now gently coming to the end of this guided meditation,

Maybe opening the eyes,

Moving a little,

Moving the body one way,

Moving the body the other way.

Thank you for sharing this moment together.

Reviews

Because I’ve not been meditating regularly, I valued this meditation which was basic, as Martine brought me back to the breath. Just enough encouragement and silence to begin my practice again. Thank you!

Loved this meditation guidance. Martine made it so real snd accessible. Lovely. Thank you 🙏

This is such a great meditation by a talented teacher! I am shocked it doesn’t get more plays.

Very gentle, starts with basic instructions. This breathing meditation takes us through the various distractions, mostly from the thinking process, and gently reminds us to come back to our breathing. It’s very nice for all levels of meditators. Merci Martine.

Very calm and relaxing

Simple and direct, the way I meditate best!

Lovely, simple mindfulness meditation.

Fantastic start to the day. Thank you Martine.

Excellent guidance with lots of quiet space. Just right!

One of my favorite meditation guides...

This is a lovely meditation. I love Martine's style. So gentle and clear.

Calm and tender voice makes me still in moment... Thanks!

Clear and gentle instructions in the beginning followed by just right amount of pauses and reminders throughout to rest your awareness on the breath. Thank you.

Very nice, open and well worded. Thank you.

So helpful. Thank you.

A new favorite! Gentle guidance with plenty of space and silence.

Lovely beginners guide to mindfulness... With a soothing French accent!

A favourite. Calm, simple and effective meditation for any time of the day. Thank you.

Lovely,thank you x

What a lovely voice, thank you