Welcome to the short BBSTE practice which simply stands for Breath,
Body,
Sound,
Thoughts and Emotions.
So let's begin.
Get comfortable and allow your body to settle into the support beneath you.
Allow your hands to rest by your side or on your lap and close your eyes.
Let's take a slow breath in together,
In through the nose and a long full exhale out.
Let's do this one more time just to signal to our body that we are shifting gears.
Inhale and exhale.
Now let's move into the breath.
Bring your attention to your regular breathing.
There is no need to change how you are breathing,
Just notice it.
Pay attention to the inhale as it enters your body and the exhale as the air leaves.
There's no need to change anything.
There's no need to breathe deeper or control it in any way,
Just notice your regular breathing.
Perhaps notice where you feel the breath in your body,
Might be your nostril or the back of the throat or maybe your chest and if your mind starts to wander,
And it will,
Just gently bring your attention back to the breathing.
If it happens,
No need to judge yourself,
Just return.
This act of returning your attention to the breath is in fact a practice.
Maybe you notice how the air entering your body is cooler and how to exhale,
The air has been warmed by your body.
Maybe just rest your attention on the breath for another moment.
Now shift your awareness into the body.
Notice the weight of your body,
How it is being held by the surface underneath you.
Notice the contact points where you're supported,
You might want to scan it gently for any tension,
Any ease,
Maybe the feeling of your clothing,
The temperature of your air.
Just see if you can soften your shoulders a little bit,
Maybe relax your jaw,
Unclench the hands and feel a sense of appreciation for your body.
Now move your attention to sounds and widen your attention to just include the sounds around you.
Notice those closest to you,
Maybe the humming of a fan,
Maybe your own heartbeat,
Maybe some appliances,
The sound of this track.
Know that these sounds are just part of this moment as well,
Just allow them to be without labeling and without attaching yourself.
Now bring your attention to your thoughts,
What are you thinking,
Where are you pulled to,
What's present for you.
Know that there is this persistent myth that somehow if you are thinking during meditation you are doing it wrong,
But that is not the case.
As long as you are alive you will have thoughts.
The practice is to notice them and then gently return the focus to the present moment instead of being distracted.
Just notice what's present for you and simply note there's a thought,
There's another one.
Think of thoughts like clouds in the sky,
Just allow them to pass and just like you are not the sky,
You are also not your thoughts.
And finally bring your attention to your emotions.
Turn inward into your own emotional experience,
You might gently ask how am I feeling,
See if any words arise.
Think about where you're feeling these emotions,
Where in your body can you feel it.
You have a tendency to label emotions as good or bad but really all they are is information,
They are not inherently good or bad.
So just allow whatever is present to be here.
There's no need to change anything,
Just be in this moment and bring it in altogether your attention on your breath,
Your body,
The sounds,
The thoughts and the emotions.
When you're ready take one more deep breath in,
Allow it to exhale gently,
Bring your awareness back to your physical body,
You might want to wiggle your fingers or toes,
Maybe a slight shoulder roll and when you're ready you can open your eyes and come back to the room.
Welcome back.
