Hello,
Welcome.
Today's practice is going to be unhooking from our thoughts.
Thoughts are very much a part of our own human experience.
We often think of meditation as having to free ourselves from our thoughts.
You don't need to push your thoughts away,
But rather allow the practice to be learning how to bring your mind back from the thoughts.
How do you let go of the thought once it has pulled you in?
This exercise will offer you a way to unhook yourself from those thoughts and simply let them be as they are.
You can become aware of the thinking mind while remaining unattached to the thoughts going on inside.
If you're ready to begin,
Settle into a comfortable seated position and gently close your eyes or drop your gaze into your lap.
Notice the energy that is happening in your mind and in your body.
Depending on where you are coming from,
You might notice the energy of your day resting in your mind and in your body.
The mind may feel active,
The body may feel worked up or perhaps even a little anxious.
If you are just waking up,
You might notice that the mind is wanting to get busy and the body is feeling slow and sluggish.
If you think of a snow globe when it's been shaken up,
All the energy is swirling around inside.
When you set the globe down to rest,
The little snowflakes gently fall to the ground and all become still inside.
I'd like for you to think of yourself as a snow globe and each snowflake as one of your thoughts.
Just watch the thought fall gently to the ground,
Each one taking its time to land softly,
Not forcing anything to relax or calm down,
Letting it happen slowly and organically.
Allow your awareness to settle on your breath.
Choose a spot in your body where the breath is easily felt.
This might be your chest,
The belly,
In your shoulders or through your nostrils.
Observe the physical sensations of your body as it breathes.
You might find it useful to count your breath,
Breathing in for the count of four and out for the count of six.
Every breath counts and every breath matters,
Bringing in energy with each inhale and allowing yourself to relax a little deeper on the exhale,
Maintaining your focus on your breath.
And when you notice a thought has creeped in,
Think of the snow globe and just let it float to the ground with the rest of the thoughts.
If the thought is important enough,
It will come back to you later.
Now that you have practiced letting the thoughts settle,
What would it feel like to open your awareness to include the thoughts and your general mental state?
Instead of turning your attention back to the breath when the mind wanders,
Notice what the mind is doing.
You may notice yourself planning,
Fantasizing,
Problem solving,
Or maybe replaying past experiences.
Whatever you observe your mind doing,
Just let it be.
When you recognize a thought,
What happens?
Try not to encourage the thought,
But don't push it away either.
Allow it to go on its own,
At its own pace.
See if you can watch the passing thought as it enters and leaves your mind.
Return to your breath and patiently wait for the next thought to pass by.
As a thought creeps in,
Just notice it,
Watch it pass,
And come back to the breath again.
You can of course choose to stay here with your thoughts for as long as you'd like,
And when you are ready,
Take a deeper breath in,
And with a release,
A loud exhale.
Open your eyes to the space around you,
Open your arms wide,
And then wrap them around yourself to give yourself a little hug.
Thank you for the taking the time to settle with me today.
I hope you have a beautiful day.
