Number four,
Meeting mind.
Begin by finding a comfortable posture and by bringing your awareness to the breath.
Take a few moments to let yourself arrive and allow the breath to draw you gently into internal awareness.
Allow the gaze to soften,
The eyes to close.
As you breathe,
Bring your focus to the mind and quietly observe what it is doing.
The mind is very likely to be carrying a stream of thoughts.
The aim of this practice is to be aware of those thoughts without energizing them.
A thought is energized when followed up with another intentional thought,
Choice,
Comment or association,
Or when scheduled for action or added to a to-do list.
At first it can be challenging and seem almost impossible to disengage the mind's natural tendency to energize thoughts,
But with repeated practice and perseverance it can become second nature.
In the minute of silence that follows,
Attend to mind,
Trying not to energize any thoughts that arise,
But simply observe them come and go.
If during the practice you notice that you have energized a thought,
It's important to practice two additional things.
The first is non-judgment and the second is self-compassion.
Non-judgment means that when realizing you've energized a thought,
You do not treat it as a failure.
In fact,
This realization is a vital moment within the practice,
As you are immediately offered the opportunity to return to the focus of the exercise by gently bringing awareness back to a neutral observation of mind.
Hand in hand with non-judgment comes self-compassion.
Being gentle with yourself is necessary because it gradually generates an ability to stay present in quiet observation of mind.
When scolding the mind for messing up or doing it wrong,
This compassionate awareness is lost.
This time try three minutes of silence.
Attend to mind,
Trying not to energize thoughts and practicing non-judgment and self-compassion.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Take five further breaths here and as you do so,
Remember the body.
Feel gravity pushing down on your seat.
Notice the rise and fall of your chest and perhaps give your fingers and toes a little wiggle.
And now,
In your very own time,
Open your eyes.
That was number four,
Meeting mind.
Thank yourself for finding time for this practice.
And don't forget to record your reflections in your mindfulness journal.
