I'm Danny Ford.
I'm a meditation teacher and integrative psychotherapist,
As always.
We'll be sitting together in this virtual way.
My sitting and recording,
And your sitting and listening.
So just beginning by finding a comfortable way of sitting.
Sitting in a way that feels bright,
Wakeful,
And relaxed.
So just sensing into your body.
Just feeling the points of contact between your body and the chair or the cushion.
Just noticing how you are in body,
Heart and mind.
And inviting yourself to just be.
To really let this time be time for being.
So putting aside doing,
Putting aside being productive,
Getting things done,
Taking things off to-do lists and so on.
Doing is important as well.
We're not trying to deny that,
But intentionally,
Consciously sitting and taking time to simply be.
So as you sense into your body,
Noticing if there are areas of tension.
And if you don't notice any obvious tension,
Perhaps just gently scanning through your body,
Just checking out how your body feels from the inside.
And if there are places where there could be some softening.
Sensing into your jaw.
Really letting the shoulders relax and soften.
Sometimes can be helpful to just gently roll the shoulders back.
Feel the chest opening,
Feel the shoulders gently relaxing.
Letting the fingers and the hands just quietly soften.
Letting the belly be soft.
Just feeling breathing.
Allowing your body to continue softening breath by breath.
And just gently opening to your breath.
Feeling the naturalness of breathing.
Your body knows how to breathe.
So you can just gently be with that natural process of your body breathing.
With a simple and loving attention.
Just feeling breathing in your body.
Just gently opening to your breath.
So just feeling breathing.
Receiving each breath in awareness.
From the top of the inhale,
Through to the fading of the exhale.
Just receiving breath in awareness.
Inhaling,
Exhaling.
Just like this.
Just opening to breathing.
So there are thoughts in the foreground of attention.
Simply opening to breathing.
Giving a gentle relaxed attention to the feeling of your breath in your body.
Just being gentle with yourself.
Feeling your breath in your body.
Coming back to your breath each time you recognise that the mind has pulled you away from your body.
Feeling the naturalness of your breath.
Letting each out-breath soften any tensions in your body and create space around any pains in your heart.
Befriending yourself.
By dwelling in awareness,
Mindful awareness.
Feeling your breath,
Listening to your body.
Dwelling in mindfulness.
I could equally say,
Dwelling in love.
Befriending yourself.
