Hello,
My name is Matt Albury.
Thanks for choosing this meditation for your practice now.
This practice that we're going to do together is what I call a new start practice.
So it's one that you can use at the start of your day,
Or maybe you're using at the start of a new phase in your life or even new years.
But the idea of this practice is that it becomes a daily routine that we do when we're starting the day.
We're about to move into a new phase.
So when you hear the bell,
I'll start to guide you through what I call the grounding practice to help us to bed into the here and now.
And then I'll guide you through this practice.
So allow yourself to bring your awareness to your feet on the floor and also then bring your awareness up to wherever you're sat on.
So notice your sit bones rooted into a cushion.
If you're sat on a chair,
Notice the chair support in your lower back and possibly your upper back.
If it's comfortable doing so,
Close your eyes.
Otherwise,
Just allow your eyes to be soft and focus on a point in front of you.
Allow your ears to pick up all the sounds that are around you.
Whatever's there,
Whatever's coming over my microphone,
Whatever is where you are,
We just accept it as part of our practice.
And then take a lovely deep breath in.
Take a lovely deep breath in through your nose and sigh out through your mouth.
So by doing this,
We're bringing our relax response in and we do that again.
Lovely big breath in and out through the mouth.
And then we'll start our practice.
So to start off with,
Bring your awareness just to the rhythm of your breath.
Just notice your breath,
Calm and go.
Not trying to control it.
Not judging whether it's too fast or too slow.
Just noticing this breath that comes and goes.
This breath that's always with us from the moment we come into this world,
To the moment we leave.
Allowing the breath to calm and go.
A little wave just rolling in and back out.
And as we think about this new start,
This new beginning,
Perhaps to our day or a new part of your day,
Just allow yourself to be in that place of gratitude.
Just think of three simple things that you're grateful for.
Just allow those to sit with you for a little bit.
People in your life,
Things that you have around you.
You might even be gratitude for having this new day to start again,
Putting behind us the past and focusing on the way ahead.
And as we think of this new beginning,
We can use this time to set some intentions.
These are known as sankalpas,
Which means solemn vows,
Which are really useful for us bringing that intention into how we want to be in our day,
Rather than just,
You know,
Flowing through the day,
Bringing that sense of how do I want to be?
So take this time to think of three intentions for your day.
It can be simple things like saying,
Aren't you going to be more patient with myself today?
Aren't you going to be more patient with myself today?
Or I'm going to do my best to be calm in this meeting I've got to go to.
That sort of thing.
So we're bringing these intentions of how do I want to be?
How could I be the best version of myself today?
Bringing that sense of kindness towards myself.
And then allow these intentions to calm and settle into your heart.
Picture them coming down and settling into your heart center.
The place a lot of the wisdom teachings teach us is where our true self dwells.
Just allow those intentions to settle there,
Trusting they will come up as reminders throughout your day.
And then just allow yourself just to gently return to watching your breath for a moment,
Letting the breath calm and go.
And we'll finish the practice with a very brief Metta practice.
A Metta or Maitri in other traditions as it's known is loving kindness.
And as we sit here now,
Getting ready for this new start,
This new day,
This new phase,
We speak these words of kindness to ourselves.
So if it's comfortable and you're able to where you are,
Place your hand over your physical heart and we'll say these words.
Today,
May I be truly happy.
Today,
May I be healthy and well.
Today,
May I feel peaceful.
Today,
May I be safe.
And today,
May I be loved.
Today,
May I be loved.
Today,
May I be truly happy.
Today,
May I be healthy and well.
Today,
May I be peaceful.
Today,
May I feel safe.
And today,
May I be loved.
We just finish with part of the Shanti path,
The path of peace.
So we say Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti,
Which is peace,
Peace,
Peace.
May there be peace in this world,
Peace within my community and peace within me.
Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
Allow your awareness then to drift out back to the sounds around you.
And then allow your awareness to come and settle on this chair or cushion that you're sat on.
Notice in the physical sensation of it holding you.
Bring your awareness down to your feet on the floor.
Just feel that firm floor underneath you.
And then take a lovely breath in through your nose and sigh out through the mouth.
And then we do that again,
A lovely breath in,
Breath out.
Gently open the eyes if your eyes have been closed and move very gently.
And go well into your day.
Thanks for practicing with me.
