Hi,
This is Michelle.
Thanks for joining me for this Exploring Anchors meditation.
During this practice,
We will explore several anchors or touch points,
Places to gather the attention with kindness and curiosity.
Then,
You will choose one anchor to explore for the remainder of the meditation,
Letting the body take a shape that supports both wakefulness and ease.
This might be sitting,
Lying down,
Or even standing.
Whatever is supportive for you right now.
Whatever shape you choose,
We're looking for a relative balance,
Front to back,
Side to side,
An outer experience of an inner dignity,
Inner wholeness,
And integrity.
This might look very different for each of us,
Depending on our body's needs.
You choose whether to close the eyes or have a soft,
Lowered gaze.
Now moving to the soles of the feet and feeling that as an anchor,
A place where the attention can gather.
In this small space between the invitation to place awareness on the soles of the feet to my speaking now,
The mind might have wandered off many times.
This is the practice.
Noticing that attention has moved away from the anchor,
We might notice where we go.
An old story,
The past,
The future,
Then with a kind firmness,
Returning,
Coming back to the soles of the feet.
We're experimenting here.
Whether you find the soles of the feet an easy anchor or more challenging,
Just seeing what it is like.
See for yourself.
And now,
Coming to the seat,
The way the hips and back,
Backs of thighs,
Are making contact.
Pressure,
Perhaps a quality of stability,
Grounding.
Each time the attention moves away,
We return to the anchor we've chosen in this moment.
Collecting attentiveness,
Cultivating kindness for this gift of our own attention.
Now,
Shifting awareness to the hands as an anchor.
Perhaps they are in your lap or touching each other.
The body is always in the present moment.
And now,
Moving from the hands to the breath.
Checking it out and seeing for yourself.
Sometimes when we turn to the breath,
We start manipulating it or making it be different.
We're just checking in.
What is it like?
Long or short?
Smooth or uneven?
Exploring where the sensations of the breath are most prominent and distinct.
And each time we notice that the mind has wandered away from the anchor,
Kindly returning the attention back to the anchor.
Now,
We will explore one more anchor.
The ears,
Specifically sounds.
Not searching out sounds,
Simply receiving.
No need to label or identify the sounds.
Being present to the symphony of sound arising and passing away moment by moment.
And now,
From this brief tour of a variety of anchors,
Choose one that is relatively easy,
Familiar,
Stable,
Neutral in tone.
Not the one that is most challenging or even preferred,
But exploring something that is relatively neutral.
Just like an anchor holds a boat firmly at the bottom of a body of water,
The boat itself has some movement,
Some play.
We are approaching this without rigidity,
With a quality of grounding in the anchor,
But with some ease.
Moving into more stillness.
Offering kindness to yourself each time you recognize that you've moved away from whatever anchor you've chosen.
And then returning.
Gently,
From wherever you've placed your attention,
Begin to widen the lens of attention.
Flexibly moving from the more narrow focus on the anchor,
Gradually encompassing and sensing the entire body.
Inviting some gentle movement to the fingers,
Toes,
Whatever feels right to you in this moment.
And you're welcome to open or raise the eyes and look around your own space,
Integrating the visual field with all the other elements of this body,
Mind,
Heart.
Perhaps offering yourself deep appreciation for your decision to practice.
Each of the anchors we explored today are available as a valuable resource whenever you feel caught up or scattered.
The body is always,
In the present moment,
Available.
Thank you for joining me.
May you be well.
