Find a comfortable seat with a back support and allow yourself to sink into it letting go of any physical tension that may be holding you back in this moment.
Let your eyes gently close or if you prefer just allow your gaze to lower to the floor.
Now gently uncross your legs allow your hands to relax in your lap with your palms facing upwards.
Can you release your jaw?
Let the shoulders drop.
Whether it is the end of the day and you want to let go of the busyness of activity or whether you're feeling stretched or stressed by multiple demands on your time or you just want to soothe the inner critic the next few minutes will be a combination of meditation mindfulness and breath techniques designed to quieten the mind with options of anchors for your awareness to disconnect from the hectic pace of our hyper-connected lives and to reconnect with the stillness that lies within.
A time to peel off the roles that we play as friend or colleague or parent or child and find that calm center residing inside.
Picture yourself on a boat at sea drifting with gentle waves to a magnificent sunset.
The tide pulls you in one direction just as your mind will be pulled and distracted by thoughts and feelings urges or physical sensations but I will give you alternative anchors for your focus places and spaces to direct your attention to give you somewhere to return to when the mind drifts which it will do multiple times.
Know that it's just a natural part of the process.
Let's find a container for your thoughts a place for the swirling ideas the worries the to-dos the plans to be held through this time.
Visualize a hot-air balloon floating above your boat where all these ruminations can be held safely for the next few minutes just watching the contents of your mind moving to the basket of the balloon.
They won't be forgotten just held at a distance.
So let's explore the first anchor the sensations in your feet focusing on your and feeling their grounded connection to the floor or carpet.
Can you give a name to the sensations that you're feeling perhaps tingling or vibrating pulsing aching heat or coolness name it to tame it.
Now widening your focus to the tops of your feet to each toe in turn.
The feeling in each toe will vary some may feel numb there's no right or wrong way to feel.
Now awareness of the entire left foot.
Awareness of the entire right foot.
Both feet rooted to the spot.
Now listen to the next inhale and as you release the next exhale move your awareness to your hands.
Allow them to be open and relaxed in your lap and focus on the sensations in the back of your hands the contact with your clothes sensing friction heat and any other feelings that arise moving your awareness to the palms noticing the difference in temperature or pressure lightness sensations in each finger in turn.
Tracing your focus from the tip of your thumb to the base along the index finger to your fingernail and continuing through each finger until you reach the base of the little finger.
Has the mind drifted?
If some thoughts have blown back from the hot air balloon back to the boat then thank your brain for the thought or the distraction and then blow it back back to the balloon and escort your awareness back to the hands the entire left hand the entire right hand both hands together listening to the next inhale and hearing the natural sigh of the next exhale and changing your anchor to every part of you that is connected to the seat notice the sensation of your skin connecting to material through the surface of the chair feelings on the top layer of skin deeper into the muscle and down to the naturally feeling your body sink seeking out any resistance from the neck to the base of the back noting the change in pressure with the expanse of the inhale and the contraction of the exhale awareness of the backs of the legs molding into the chair melting listening to the next inhale and bringing full focus to the final anchor the breath itself where are you feeling it most clearly perhaps at the bridge of the nose the sharp cool intake and warmer louder exhale maybe at the chest with awareness of the rise and fall is it at the back of the throat the sound of rising waves or is it deep in the belly naturally expanding and taut as you inhale deflating dropping as you let go after identifying where you feel the breath the strongest allow this to be your anchor for the next few cycles of breath no need to control it just witnessing your breath viscerally listening to it observing sensing soothed by its effortless repetition which anchor was easiest to focus on feet hands contact or breath remember your answer for moments in the future when you just want to the ship you now have the right personal anchor to hold your position amidst the waves now returning to the sound of the breath and become aware of the pause at each end that moment of stillness at the pinnacle the crescendo of the inhale and then again at the nadir the end of the exhale the sound of silence feeling your posture holding you upright the stillness in between the breaths like two pins at each end of a piece of string holding it taught now take a short sharp intake of breath and one more inhale make a hole in your mouth and slowly release it all once again a short sharp inhale one more inhale make that hole in the mouth and release release release noticing the taste in your mouth the colors behind your eyelids the sounds that surround you the smell as you inhale and exhale my meditation teacher Deepak Chopra said in the midst of movement and chaos keep stillness inside of you and centuries ago the Sufi poet Rumi said I have lived on the lip of insanity wanting to know reasons knocking on a door it opens I've been knocking from the inside now having disconnected to explore your anchor and find your stillness slowly feel yourself reconnecting and inhale and exhale and in your own time gently open your eyes
