If your mind feels particularly busy today,
You don't need to force it to become quiet.
For the next few minutes,
We are simply going to give it somewhere to rest.
Find a position that feels comfortable enough for you to stay here without too much effort.
You can sit on a chair,
On the floor,
Or lie down if that feels better for you today.
Let your hands rest somewhere naturally.
And if it feels comfortable,
Allow your eyes to close or simply soften your gaze.
There is nowhere else you need to be for the next few minutes.
Nothing you need to solve.
Nothing you need to figure out.
Just begin by noticing that you are here.
Before we pay attention to the mind,
Let's begin with the body.
Notice the places where your body is being supported.
Your feet against the floor.
Your legs against the chair.
The weight of your body.
Against whatever is beneath you.
Notice the simple fact that the ground is already holding your weight.
You don't need to do that yourself.
See if your shoulders can drop just a little.
Let your jaw soften.
Let the muscles around your eyes relax.
If your mind is racing ahead into tomorrow or replaying something from earlier today,
That is okay.
We are not trying to force it back.
Just keep giving a little more attention to what is physically here.
The weight of your body.
The temperature of the room.
The feeling of clothing against your skin,
The sensation of your hands resting.
Now bring your attention to your breath.
And for the moment,
Don't change it.
You don't need a slower or a deeper breath yet.
Just notice the breath that is already flowing.
Notice where you feel it most clearly.
Perhaps at the nostrils.
Perhaps in your chest.
Or maybe in the movement of your abdomen.
There is no right place to feel it.
Just notice.
Just breathe in.
And breathe out.
One more time,
Breathe in and gently breathe out.
Your breath has been moving all day without needing your intervention.
For now,
Let it become something simple for your mind to come back to.
Sooner or later,
A thought will come.
Perhaps one already has.
A plan,
A memory,
A conversation,
A worry.
Something you need to do.
Something you wish you had done differently.
And when you notice that your mind has gone somewhere else,
Rather than following the thought,
See if you can simply witness the thought.
And then gently come back to the sensation of your breath.
Another thought may come.
Again.
Witness it.
You don't have to finish it.
You don't have to engage with it.
You don't have to make it disappear.
Just witness the thought.
And gently come back.
Sometimes we imagine that a calm mind is a mind with no thoughts.
But perhaps calmness begins somewhere else.
Perhaps it begins when every thought no longer requires a response.
Let the thoughts come and go in the background,
Like cars moving along a road.
You don't need to stop the trussing.
You are simply sitting beside the road watching those cars pass.
And each time you realize you have climbed into one of those cars and traveled away with the thought,
Simply notice and return.
To your body,
Your breath,
This moment.
Now allow your attention to become a little wider.
Instead of focusing only on your breath,
Notice your whole body.
Notice the sounds around you,
The sensations appearing and disappearing.
The thoughts appearing and disappearing.
For a few moments,
Allow everything to exist without needing to change anything.
A sound,
A breath,
A sensation,
A thought.
And then something else.
See if you can notice that underneath all of this movement,
There is also something steady.
Your body is still here.
The ground is still underneath you.
Your breath continues.
For the next few seconds.
I'm going to say less.
There is nothing special you need to do.
If your mind wanders,
Just witness and come back to your breath or simply to the feeling of being here.
Whatever your mind is doing right now.
Let it be enough.
Begin to notice your body again a little more clearly.
The places where you are supported,
The room around you.
Any sounds nearby.
Perhaps notice whether anything has changed.
Not whether your mind has become perfectly quiet.
That isn't the goal.
Maybe there is simply a little more space around your thoughts.
A little less urgency.
A little more awareness of where you are.
Take one comfortable breath in.
And let the breath leave without rushing it.
When you are ready,
Begin to slowly move your fingers,
Your toes.
Perhaps roll your shoulders gently.
And slowly open your eyes.
You don't need to wait until your mind becomes very busy to return to this practice.
Sometimes a few minutes of coming back to your body and breath is enough to remind your mind that not every thought needs to be followed.
Thank you for practicing with me.
