Sitting Meditation (20 Min) – Part Of The MBSR Program

Welcome to this 20-minute guided sitting meditation is part of the MBSR program – Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
Sitting meditation is one of the foundational practices in MBSR.
You are invited to bring attention to the breath, the body and the changing flow of present-moment experience.
The mind will wander. This is not a mistake. The practice is to notice when attention has moved away and gently return – again and again.
The intention is not to empty the mind or create a particular state. Instead, the practice is about cultivating awareness, patience and a more open relationship with experience.
You may sit on a chair, cushion or in any position that allows you to feel both supported and awake.
This meditation can be used as part of an MBSR course or as a standalone mindfulness practice.
Guided by Camilla Strandmark
Nurse • MBSR & MSC mindfulness teacher • Yoga teacher

Transcript

Welcome to this meditation. My name is Kamala and I will guide you through this mindfulness meditation which is a part of the MBSR, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program. This practice will focus primarily on awareness of breathing. So begin by finding a sitting position that feels stable and workable for you. You might sit on a chair on a meditation cushion or another position that allows you to be both supported and awake. You may also be laying down if that suits you better. If you are sitting on a chair, Place your both feet on the floor and allow the hands to rest on the thighs or in your lap. And see if the spine can be upright here and long. Perhaps sensing a quality of dignity in the posture. Alert and at the same time at ease. And if it feels comfortable allow the eyes to close or simply lower the gaze. And begin by noticing the experience of sitting here. Feeling the points of contact between the body and whatever is supporting you. The feet, The legs, The pelvis. The hands resting. Simply sensing the body resting, Sitting. There is nothing in particular you need to achieve in this practice. No special state to create. No need to make the mind quiet. Simply notice what is already here. Moment by moment. And now gently bring the attention to the breath. Not changing the breathing. Not trying to make it deeper or slower. Simply allowing the breath to breathe itself. And become curious about how you know that you're breathing. Explore for a moment where you can feel the breath the most right now. Perhaps at the nostrils. The subtle sensation of air moving in and out. Perhaps the chest. Or the abdomen. Feeling the belly rise and fall with each breath. And when you have found a place where the breath is relatively easy to feel, Allow your attention to rest here. Following the sensation of one inhalation from the beginning. Through the middle. To the end. And then the sensation of the exhalation. From the beginning. Through the middle. To the end. One breath at a time. There is no need to think about the breath. Simply feeling it. Experiencing the breath as it is. Each one arriving on its own. Each one leaving. On this song. Perhaps noticing the small pause or turning point between the in-breath and the out-breath. And between the out breath and the next in breath. Not looking for anything special. Just receiving the experience of breathing as it unfolds. Focus for a bit now on the pause between the breaths. Sooner or later you may notice that your attention has moved away from the breath. Perhaps into thoughts. Plans, Memories, Sounds, Sensations in the body. Or perhaps you simply realize that you, For a while, Have been somewhere else entirely. This is not a mistake. This is simply what minds do. The moment you notice that the intention has wandered. Is itself a moment of mindfulness. And when you notice this, See if you can gently acknowledge where the mind has gone. Perhaps simply, Silently, Recognizing, Thinking, Planning. Remembering, Worrying. Or simply wondering. And then without judging yourself and without needing to push anything away. Gently escort the attention back to the sensation of breathing. Back to this inhalation. And this exhalation. Again and again, This is the practice. Attention wanders. We notice. And we return. Not forcing the attention back, Not criticizing ourselves, Simply beginning again. Each return is a part of the mindfulness, Is a part of the meditation. You may notice that some breaths are long, Some are short. Some are deep and some are shallow. There is no need to prefer one kind of breath over the other. Allowing the body to breathe in its own way. And perhaps exploring what it is like to let the breath be completely neutral. Nothing to control. Nothing to improve. And if sensations in the body become strong or particularly notable, You may find that attention is drawn toward them. If that happens, You might briefly acknowledge the sensation, Perhaps pressure, Perhaps warmth, Coolness, Tightness, Or discomfort. And if it feels appropriate, Gently return the attention to the breath. Letting the breath remain a place to come back to. An anchor in the experience of this moment. And sounds may come and go as well. There is no need to block them out. Sounds can simply be part of the background of awareness. Hearing and breathing. Breathing and hearing. And whenever attention becomes caught up in a sound or a thought about a sound, Gently return again to the felt experience of breathing. For the next few moments. See if you can let the guidance become less important. Simply sitting. Simply breathing. Aware of the breath as it comes in. Aware of the breath as it goes out. And beginning again whenever the mind wanders. And now notice whether you can sense the whole body breathing. Not only the particular place, But the whole body sitting here, Breathing. The movement of the chest and abdomen. The movements through the ribs and the back. The whole body receiving the in-breath. The whole body releasing with the out-breath. And perhaps resting in this wider awareness for a little while. The body sitting, The breath moving. Sounds arising and passing. Thoughts coming and going. Nothing needing to be hold on to. Nothing needing to be pushed away. Simply knowing what is here. As it is here. As we begin to bring this practice toward a close. Gently narrowing the attention once again to the body sitting here. Feeling the contact. With the surface under you. The hands resting. Notice the sounds around you. And perhaps taking one slightly deeper breath if that feels natural. And remember that mindfulness is not about keeping the attention perfectly still. It is the willingness to notice. To return. And to begin again. Moment by moment. Breath by breath. For a moment now just notice the mind, The inner climate, What's moving on the inside. Maybe there is a lot of thoughts, Feelings. Memories, Sensations, Or maybe it's still. There is no right or wrong, Just notice. When you feel ready, Gently allowing the eyes to open or lifting the gaze. Take in a moment just to feel your body right now and to see the room that you are in. And bring this feeling with you to the rest of the day. Take some time and thank yourself for this practice. Thank you so much for practicing with me.