Nothing can change what has happened already.
It could have been something that took place years ago,
Last week or even this morning.
But it is still past.
Are you bringing the pain and the misery of this past into today?
Into your now?
Do you want to?
If not,
The way is to remain as much as possible in the present time.
In the now.
We can ask ourselves,
What is true for me right now?
Often what happens,
Our mind brings up memories of the past or projections of the future.
It attaches whole stories to what you might be feeling right now.
But the aim of mindfulness is to detach from these stories and memories and just be with what actually is.
I invite you to close your eyes.
Allow your body to relax.
Let go of any tensions that might be there from earlier today.
Drop inside of yourself and let's breathe together.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Notice what happens in your body when you breathe.
What happens around your nostrils when you breathe in.
What do you notice?
And when you breathe out.
And the chest.
What do you notice here?
And the back.
What happens there?
And the stomach.
What do you notice here?
On the inhale.
And what do you see on the exhale?
Just noticing what happens when you breathe.
Not trying to change the way you breathe.
The way you're breathing is just right.
Just allow that to be.
You might notice that even at this point you feel a little more relaxed.
Maybe you notice that on the exhale your whole body quietens and becomes softer.
Just be with this softening for a moment.
And now if I mention coronavirus,
What goes on in your mind?
What is taking place there?
Does this create any emotions or feelings for you?
Name that emotion or feeling with one word.
Don't try and change it.
Accept it.
Maybe you notice narratives,
Stories,
Memories starting to appear.
But just bring your attention only to the name of the emotion.
Maybe keep repeating that word to yourself for now.
And now do a complete body scan and see where this emotion,
This feeling,
Sits in your body.
Observe the face,
The eyes,
The jaw.
Is there anything going on there?
Do you notice any clenching or squeezing?
What about the chest area?
Do you have any sensations there?
A quickening of the heartbeat,
A lifting,
A closing in,
A tightening.
What about the stomach?
What do you notice here?
A sinking,
A heaviness,
A sick feeling,
A sense of butterflies.
What about the fingers and toes?
Are there any clenching,
Curling,
Squeezing?
Just notice whatever is there for you,
Wherever.
Again,
Don't try and change anything.
Just allow whatever is there to be there.
And just make a mental note of it.
You are just noting where your feeling,
Your emotion manifests itself in your body right now.
If your mind wanders and starts bringing up images or words or it tries to suck you into a story,
Just acknowledge that,
Maybe label it thinking.
Don't get agitated or frustrated with yourself.
Accept.
This is normal.
Your mind is doing what it does,
Thinking.
Just be kind and gentle with yourself.
Just bring your attention back to noticing the sensations within the body.
Notice how simple it is to move the attention from the thoughts to elsewhere.
Although you might find it difficult to keep the attention where you want it,
This comes with time and practice.
The more you practice this,
Moving your awareness from your thoughts to the sensations in the body or elsewhere like an object,
The easier this becomes and the longer you will keep the attention where you want it to be.
For now,
Spend some time practicing this.
Keep your focus on any sensations in your body.
If you notice a wandering away again,
Gently bring it back.
You might notice there is something new in the body or that the original sensations have changed whether it was tightness or squeezing.
You might notice a softening,
A lightness,
A change.
Just notice whatever is there.
And if you realise you are back in the land of thoughts,
Gently,
Like leading a small child by the hand,
Bring it back to observing the body again.
If you have to do this 20,
30,
50,
100 times,
Just keep on doing it without beating yourself up,
Without judging yourself.
By doing this,
You are observing what is in the now,
What is great reality for now.
Often the chatter in your head is anecdotal,
It's not necessarily reliable and can often be based on something that has already happened or something that might happen in the future.
The bodily sensations are the now,
They are the simple reality.
They are the truth right in this moment.
But even those,
Even whilst we sit and watch these sensations,
They too shift,
Morph into something other.
The pain becomes an ache,
The ache becomes a twinge,
The clenching fingers uncurl,
The strain around the eyes and face ease and soften,
And the grip and tension in the whole body subdues and melts away.
Often the restlessness,
Tautness and disquiet that began with those thoughts have now decreased greatly or even dissipated entirely.
The emotions and feelings that began with our negative thoughts also for the most part depart and we are left with a sense of calm and quiet.
All from just moving our attention to what is real for now,
Our sensations in our body.
They are the only reality for this moment and even they are changeable and fleeting.
There is a Zen story that says,
A student went to his meditation teacher and said,
My meditation is horrible,
I feel so distracted or my legs ache or I am constantly falling asleep,
It's just horrible.
It will pass,
The teacher said matter of factly.
A week later the student came back to his teacher,
My meditation is wonderful,
I feel so aware,
So peaceful,
So alive,
It's just wonderful.
It will pass,
The teacher replied matter of factly.
This practice is useful for keeping us from ruminating over the past and worrying about our future.
It also helps to bring a calm and relaxation to the whole body and mind.
Bring your attention now back to the breath,
To the breath in the stomach,
To the breath in the chest,
To the breath in the back,
To the breath in the nostrils.
Notice how the body feels now,
The whole of the body,
Sat here breathing.
Now bring your attention to the soles of your feet,
To the heels of your feet,
To the base of the toes,
To the top of the toes.
Feel the feet grounded on the ground.
Feel the heaviness of the bottom on the chair.
Feel the sense of uprightness in the torso.
Become aware of the head balancing on the neck.
And have a picture of yourself in this space where you are.
Sat here breathing.
And only when you are ready,
Slowly and carefully open your eyes.
Thank you.
