Welcome to this body awareness meditation.
Many of us live lives completely in our heads,
Using our bodies as merely vehicles to get us from one place to another.
Worrying about the future,
Ruminating on the past,
Seldom simply being in the present moment.
One of the simplest ways to arrive in the present moment is to shift our awareness from the constant stream of thoughts into our physical bodies.
In this simple exercise we will use bodily awareness and a simple form of words to anchor ourselves in the here and now.
Now pause,
Take a deep breath,
Hold it at the top,
Exhale and let's begin.
And let's begin.
Gently bring your awareness to your breath.
The simple rise and fall,
Inhale and exhale,
Which is present at all times in our lives,
Whether we notice it or not.
Now bring your awareness to your hands.
You may wish to hold them in front of you with the palms facing up or in any position which feels good for you.
Bring your awareness to the sensations inside your hands,
Underneath your skin.
Take a moment to notice anything you feel here with a gentle curiosity.
Now expand your awareness to the whole of your body.
Take a moment to notice any sensations you feel,
Without judging or analyzing what they are or why they are there.
Just notice them and allow them to be as they are.
Stay here in this state of calm bodily awareness,
Noticing the sensations in your body and the gentle rise and fall of your breath.
If at any time you notice your mind has wandered off into thoughts,
Gently bring it back to this awareness of sensation.
You may find it helpful to use the following phrase,
I am here in my body.
If at any point you find your mind has wandered off into thoughts,
Gently bring it back by returning to the sensations in the body and the phrase,
I am here in my body.
Drawing this practice to a close now,
Bring one or both hands to your heart and take a deep breath,
Exhaling out of your mouth with a sigh,
Coming back to the present moment.
Now one more time,
Take a deep breath,
Exhale and step back into your day.
