Your Meditation Journey Day 3: Thought Observation 2

"Thought Observation and Breath Focus Foundation" revisits on Day 3, taking a deeper dive into the intricacies of the mind. As participants settle into the rhythm of the course, this session emphasizes the balance between observing fleeting thoughts and grounding oneself through the breath. As thoughts ebb and flow, the breath remains a consistent anchor, guiding practitioners towards a state of serene introspection. This continuation from Day 2 ensures a reinforced understanding of the technique, solidifying its place in one's daily meditation practice.

Transcript

Welcome to day three of your meditation journey. Ask yourself how you're feeling today, Just as you're getting comfortable in wherever you're seated, Whether it's a chair or on the floor, We're continuing our foundation of meditation, Our thought awareness, But our focus on the inhales and exhales of our breath. A metaphor for today that's really helped me with my practice, And I hope it resonates with you, Is thinking about cars on a busy highway. So bring that to your attention, And now imagine that your mind is the highway, And the cars are the thoughts that are passing by. Sometimes the highway can be rather busy. Sometimes it could be rush hour, And we have just nonstop car after car, Bumper to bumper, Thought after thought, Feeling pretty clouded and congested, And other times the highway is pretty free and clear, Allowing one thought to speed by without it getting stuck or getting lost or distracted in it. Our wise mind knows not to get into the car and watch it drive away, Leaving our highway, But sometimes our subconscious mind gets so swept up in the thought or in the storyline and the narrative that we start to identify with it. We get lost in it. We may go hours or even days before we realize how far that car or that thought took you away from your true essence. Just remembering and focusing on the fact that these cars, These thoughts are coming and going just like our emotions, Just like our distractions and thoughts. We don't have to get swept up in them. We can slowly build the muscle of recognizing when that thought or feeling comes in and not getting swept away in it, Just recognizing it, Not resisting it, Then returning your focus and your attention back to the present moment, Back to your breath, Back to what's happening right in front of you. That small space that we're building the muscle, Training our mind to rest in, The space in between the thoughts and thinking, That, That's our state of being. That's our true essence. So with that, Beginning our meditation today, Sitting up straight if you aren't already, Still comfortable and just starting to take the deepest inhales and exhales you have all day. Breathing in through your nose and releasing out through your mouth. Just a little more forcefully, Breathing in through your nose and exhaling out through your mouth. One more forceful inhale and exhale, Breathing in, Filling your body up and then watching it release, Slowly fluttering your eyes closed if you haven't done so yet. And as soon as you close your eyes, Maybe you notice an immediate distraction, A thought coming in, Not resisting, Just noting that, Putting it aside, Knowing that for the next 10 minutes, All you need to do is be. There's nothing you need to think about. There's nothing you need to resist. Noticing the different thoughts, Allowing the natural state of your mind to be, Not bringing your attention to your body, Noticing the weight of your body, Whether you're feeling a little bit heavier right now, Or maybe more restless and light, Just as we're not resisting the activity of our mind right now. No matter how it is, We're not going to resist the sensation or feelings in our body. And to find that mind-body connection a little bit more deeply, Scanning through each piece of ourselves, Connecting each body part with our breath, As we together start at the crown of our head, This time visualizing a light, Any color you want, Starting at the top of your head, Slowly melting down to the tips of your toes, Melting any tension or sensations you're feeling, Just together now, Breathing in. And this orb of light begins to travel, Melting slowly, Evenly, Bringing your attention to your face, Your forehead, Releasing as you scan down through your eyes, Your cheeks, Your jaw, Separating your teeth, Releasing your tongue, Just imagining this entire light filling your entire head. Maybe you notice a certain sensation got you distracted, Or maybe the idea of choosing a color for your light swept you away. Just bringing your attention back, Knowing that this is the whole practice of recognizing when our mind wanders, Bringing it back to the sensation of inhaling and traveling with that light, Picking it back up from our throat, Down through our shoulders, Into the back line of our shoulders, As it melts down into our chest and down our shoulder blades, Flowing through our ribs, Into our belly, Simultaneously also flowing through each arm, Paying a little bit more attention here to the weight of your hands on your body, Resting here, Feeling that connection, Watching as that light continues to melt any tension down through your hips, Into your thighs, With every inhale, Just watching your breath travel with that light as it's evenly scanning through each knee, Through each leg, Each ankle, And down all the way to the tips of your toes. This light is completely engulfing you now, And we're just breathing with this light, Seeing as we inhale, Filling up, We exhale, Grounding down, Inhale, Filling up, And exhale, Grounding down, Allowing this entire light to engulf you, To swallow your entire existence as we're floating here, And as soon as your mind wanders, Recognizing it, Gently bringing it back to breathing in and breathing out, And as you zoom out, Beginning to envision yourself in your space, Watching this light orbiting around you as you're floating, Sitting, And bring your focus as you're watching yourself to that inhale and exhale, Watching your body rise with every inhale, And watching it fall with every exhale, Continuing breathing in and exhaling out, Breathing in as our point of focus, Breathing out as our point of focus, Continuing just like this at your own pace, Following the complete exhale, The complete inhale, Slowly bringing your awareness back into your body, Still feeling this warm light hugging your entire being, Feeling that mind-body connection, So often we're stuck in our minds throughout our days, Stuck in the thoughts and the distractions and the storylines and the to-do lists, Seeing if you can get that little bit of space to observe, To be, Taking one more inhale together, Breathing in, And releasing everything, Slowly wiggling our fingers and our toes, Maybe stretching, Doing some shoulder rolls, Anything that you need to get back into the physical sensation of your body and your space, And opening your eyes when you're ready, Coming back to a state of open awareness and attention, Offering gratitude for yourself for completing day three. Thank you so much.