Take a second to relax,
Let your shoulders drop a little,
Let your jaw loosen,
If it feels safe,
You can close your eyes,
Or just soften your gaze somewhere in front of you.
Slow breath in through the nose,
Easy breath out through the mouth,
Let the breath do its thing.
This is one,
And in this session we are training the second factor of awakening,
Investigation.
Seven factors are like inner superpowers.
Mindfulness tells you where you are.
Investigation is the one that leans in and says,
What's really going on right now?
The mind throws stories fast,
I'm failing,
They're mad at me,
This always happens.
Investigation is the lie detector for those stories,
Not cold science,
But honest curiosity about your own heart.
Here's the difference,
Rumination is the spiral,
It sounds like,
Always,
Never,
It's all me.
It goes on for hours,
And leaves you drained.
Investigation is short and specific,
What am I feeling,
Where do I feel it,
What is it trying to make me do?
Same mind,
Different move.
Take another slow breath in,
Now we'll walk through a small street practice together.
You can use this at work,
In the car,
Or lying in bed at 2am.
Bring to mind something that's been bothering you,
Not your biggest trauma,
Just a real situation,
Maybe a text you haven't answered,
A bill,
A conversation you're dreading,
Let it come a little closer,
Notice what emotion rises first,
Give it one short name,
Worried,
Angry,
Ashamed,
Confused,
Say that name quietly in your mind,
Now ask,
Where is this loudness in my body,
Scan gently,
Chest,
Throat,
Stomach,
Jaw,
Hand,
Pick the spot that speaks up first,
Rest your attention there,
What's the texture there,
Tight,
Buzzing,
Hot,
Heavy,
Hollow,
You don't have to fix it,
Just whisper inside,
Ok,
This is what's here,
This is investigation doing its job,
Not I'm a mess,
Just there's buzzing in my chest and a lot of worry,
What is this energy trying to make me do,
Maybe it wants you to snap at someone,
Hide,
Over explain or scroll your way out of feeling,
See if you can notice the pull without obeying it,
Take a breath right there,
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth,
What is one small kind move I can make instead,
Not the perfect future plan,
Just the next right inch,
Maybe that's sending one honest text,
Writing one line in a notebook,
Or just staying with running away,
Let one simple answer surface and hold it softly,
For the next bit we'll sit in quiet practice,
I'll speak less,
You stay with the body and the questions,
Where do I feel it,
What is the pull,
What is one kinder move,
Keep the attention on one anchor while you do this,
Maybe the breath at the nose,
Or a sound in the room,
If the mind drifts into the old movie,
That's okay,
The moment you notice you were gone,
That's investigation waking up,
Gently come back to the body spot and the questions,
If going inward feels too intense at any point,
You can always open your eyes,
Look around the room,
Name a couple colors you see,
Feel your feet on the ground,
You're in charge here,
As we start to close,
Take one deeper breath in,
Slow breath out,
Check in,
What's here now,
Is the feeling exactly the same,
Or even 2% clearer,
If you can say,
I know a little more truth about myself in this moment,
That's the factor of investigation already working,
You can run this mini inquiry anytime the spiral starts,
Name it,
Locate it,
Feel the pull,
Choose one kinder move,
That's how this practice grows,
Not in some perfect cave far away,
But right here in your real life,
Inside the same nervous system that's been through so much,
Thank you for practicing with me,
Stillness is rebellion,
Compassion is a weapon,
Peace is within,
Carry all.
