Meditation is not about clearing or stopping the mind.
Meditation is about observing,
Connecting to,
And relating with the mind.
Meditation is a structured attention practice of self-awareness.
It is a self-awareness practice that many people often experience lovely outcomes,
Such as clarity and relaxation and spaciousness.
The definition of mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment in a particular way,
On purpose,
Non-judgmentally.
If you're not already doing so,
I invite you to close your eyes now if you're comfortable,
And to take a deep breath in through your nose,
Out through your mouth,
As you sit up tall and allow your hands to rest somewhere.
The goal here is not to clear your mind.
The goal is to be here with yourself.
You deserve your attention.
Your attention is like a flashlight.
Let's begin by shifting your attention to focusing on what it feels like to breathe,
Right now in your body.
Notice the coolness or warmth of the air as you breathe in.
Notice what it feels like in your body as a breath flows through you,
Expanding your stomach and then your stomach constricting as you breathe out.
Other thoughts will surely arise.
That's okay.
Just as the ears listen and the eyes see,
The mind thinks.
That is what the mind evolved to do to help us survive.
It is up to you to let the mind know that right now you are safe and that you are connecting with yourself,
That there is no urgent need to go and do anything,
That you're not serving a priority of someone else.
You're okay.
See if you can open up to a greater sense of being okay.
See if you can open up to the truth.
That is,
If you have enough air to breathe right now and if your heart is beating right now,
Then there is more right with you than wrong with you.
And on this next breath,
See if you can settle into that truth,
Settle into that sense of being okay a little bit more.
And now,
With a greater sense of curiosity and openness,
Of non-judgment,
Shift your attention now to exploring the sensations within your feet right now.
As your feet rest,
Do you notice still sensations of aliveness within them?
With a curious attention,
Observe the space within your feet and your legs and notice the sensations of aliveness as well as the spaciousness.
Other thoughts will surely arise.
Allow them to pass by like clouds in the sky.
You deserve this time of connection and attention.
As you now shift your attention upward,
Exploring the spaciousness and sensation up your leg and to your lower back.
Notice and explore what your lower back feels like right now in this moment.
Are you able to take a breath and settle in a little deeper to this space that allows sensation and spaciousness?
Who are you before a thought?
Who are you after a thought has passed by?
Can you connect with this version of deep self as you explore the rest of your back,
Arms and shoulders?
Simply noticing what is here in your body.
Now on your next breath in,
I invite you to see if you can relax your shoulders about 10% more and then breathe out.
As we end this practice,
I hope that you give yourself some credit,
Some celebration as you just went through a mindfulness meditation.
You just took some time to connect with yourself.
You affirmed your worthiness.
Oh yeah,
And you are infinitely worthy and abundantly powerful.
I hope that you carry with you this deeper sense of connection throughout your day as you allow your eyes to open.
Take care.
