Thanks for being here,
Friends.
For this meditation,
We are going to practice the tool of noting.
And if you're not familiar with this tool,
When we meditate,
We have an opportunity to observe the thoughts that come and go and become the watcher of these thoughts.
So often we are caught up in the thoughts that are automatically produced in our mind and it's easy to get hooked on them.
So this meditation is inspired by a recent conversation that I had at my job where I got rather worked up about a story that I was creating and I was able to note it in the moment,
Take some breaths,
And then decide to have a conversation about it to better check my understanding of where the other person was coming from with intention of leaning into relationship rather than my own fear,
My own drama that my mind was creating.
So what I love about this practice of mindfulness is that we get to build this muscle of noting what's here with curiosity and with kindness.
So I will guide us in a meditation and encourage you as always to really make this your own.
You can sit,
Stand,
Lay down,
Walk,
Stretch,
Whatever your body is needing.
This is your time.
So let's begin by finding a way to sit or be in a posture that feels comfortable,
Taking some slow,
Nurturing breaths.
In and out of the nose.
Notice if you're needing a bit of a release,
If there's any tension or bottled up energy that needs to be released.
You might like to sigh it out on the exhale.
Sigh it out on the exhale.
I'm setting an intention for this time.
Encourage you to bring to mind what feels important now.
Notice the posture that you're in.
I'm scanning through the body for a moment.
Seeing if there's any ways that you can get more comfy,
Feel even more comfortable in this moment.
Before we begin this practice of noting what's here,
You might like to choose a home base,
Something that feels like a homecoming for you to return to,
An anchor point to bring your attention to when you notice that your mind wanders.
Your mind's gonna wander many times.
That's just what our mind does.
So you can choose to focus on your breath,
The sensation of being held,
Feeling the contact of your seat or your feet onto the solidity below you.
Or perhaps you enjoy listening to sounds,
Tuning in to the sounds in your environment.
And whatever you choose,
Encourage the attitude of non-judgment and curiosity as much as possible.
I'll leave a moment to explore and see what anchor point feels like a good place to bring your attention back to.
When your mind wanders off,
You might like to create a label in your mind.
It could be as simple as thinking.
It also might be fun and interesting to you just to get even more specific.
So if your mind is wandering to lunch like mine is,
You might think planning and say in your mind,
Planning.
If you notice your mind is wandering back into the past,
Worrying about a conversation that you had,
You might say worrying or ruminating.
I think it can be helpful just to pay attention to the tone in which you're saying this.
It's natural for the mind to judge.
So bringing non-judgmental awareness to judging or whatever's here.
Remembering that whatever's here is okay to be here.
It's information.
I'll offer a minute or so just of silence for you to experiment with this noting process.
Experiment with this noting practice.
Noticing where the mind is now.
You're practicing becoming aware again and again.
It's okay if your mind has gone totally off into thinking,
Planning,
Projecting into the future.
This is what the mind does.
Seeing if you can offer some relaxation,
Some extra breaths,
And simply begin again.
Focusing the attention wherever you'd like.
And of course,
You're welcome to hop around.
Could be you're feeling listening in one moment and then you're feeling drawn to feeling the heartbeat in another.
No right or wrong way to do this.
Simply exploring what's here.
If it feels supportive,
I encourage you to imagine that you're outside of yourself,
Just looking down at this human.
Observing the way that they are carrying themselves.
The intention to be of service to themselves and others.
And just see if there's any adjustments you might like to make in the way that you're approaching this practice.
With curiosity,
Noticing,
How am I approaching my practice right now?
Again,
There's no right way.
And it's an opportunity just to check in and see,
Is there some striving happening?
A brow furrowed,
Trying to be a good meditator.
I often get real serious.
So perhaps there's a chance to bring a smile to your face or even laugh at yourself.
Or maybe you just need some compassion.
You know what is needed.
So I'll provide a space just to take that opportunity to do whatever would be a service right now.
Is there something that you wanna take away from this practice and bring into your life?
These spaces where we slow down are a chance to practice a new muscle.
Or maybe it's not a new muscle.
It's a chance to practice the unfolding.
Peeling away the layers of patterning and finding that one within you that's always here,
That knows what it needs.
And as you move toward closing this practice,
I encourage you to think about if there's something you want to commit to in this day.
And then finally,
Taking some extra deep breaths,
Offering yourself gratitude,
And so much appreciation for creating this space and showing up.
May this practice be of service to yourself and others.
Whenever you're ready,
And then no rush at all.
Opening your eyes if they were closed,
Returning your gaze to the room,
Taking a stretch,
Whatever the body needs.
Coming back to the space when you're ready,
Friends.
