Today we'll be practicing a meditation on labeling our thoughts.
And this practice can be really helpful when we're feeling overwhelmed by repetitive thoughts,
Intrusive thoughts,
Or just noticing how the mind is very active.
So we'll begin just by settling the body into a posture where we can create a space to slow down and notice the mind a bit more easily.
So you might like to soften the gaze a few feet in front of you or close the eyes if that's more comfortable.
And if you're sitting in a seat,
Beginning to feel your feet making contact with the floor,
Or if you're in a kneeling or cross-legged position,
Noticing where your knees are making contact with the floor.
Just beginning to feel into that sense of stability and groundedness as you notice the weight of the feet or the knees resting on the floor,
Ultimately the earth below you.
Then noticing where your body's making contact with whatever seat you're in today,
Becoming aware of how you can feel held,
Supported by the seat.
No need to exert any effort to be held in this moment.
You might imagine that there is an invisible stream coming out of the top of your head that's gently pulling your spine,
Your neck,
Your head upright and towards the sky.
So we're in an upright and dignified posture,
Noticing if there's any straining or efforting going into the body and see if you can release that.
You might roll your shoulders up towards your ears and back down,
Noticing if that creates any more spaciousness in the heart area.
Maybe tucking the chin slightly to further elongate the spine.
Then we'll check in with the breath just briefly.
So you may notice a sensation of breathing coming in either as the rise and fall of the belly or the chest,
Or maybe air coming in and out of the nostrils.
Just exploring whatever sensation feels most accessible today and settling on one that feels nourishing,
That feels like you can really touch that sensation of air coming in and out of the body.
Resting your awareness on that in breath and out breath as it comes in and out.
And that will release our focus on the breath and we'll begin to notice our thoughts as they start to arise.
And in this practice,
We'll be labeling our thoughts.
This allows us to diffuse ourselves ever so slightly from our thoughts rather than feeling like I am this thought,
I am sad,
I am worried.
We notice,
Oh,
Sadness is present,
Worrying is present.
So we'll bring our awareness into the arena of the mind where thoughts are arising.
And I'll invite you to use four labels,
Just four words to keep this kind of simple so we're not thinking about thinking.
So we'll label every thought you notice is either ruminating,
If it's about the past,
So ruminating,
Worrying,
Planning,
Or just thinking if it's something outside of those three.
So if it's about the past,
Noticing ruminating.
If it's about the present,
Something we need to do,
Maybe it's worrying.
And the future thoughts,
Planning,
Anything else thinking.
If another word spontaneously arises,
Of course,
Feeling free to use that.
We're silently repeating this word in our head every time we notice a thought has arisen.
So we'll again,
Return our awareness back internally.
You can anchor yourself in the breath again,
Just noticing the breath coming in and out of the body.
She noticed that you become aware of the mind also naturally wanders,
It's what it does.
And every time you notice wandering in the thoughts,
Just labeling the thought,
Ruminating,
Worrying,
Planning,
Thinking.
And we turn your awareness back to the breath,
Notice the next inhale.
Just exploring that for a few moments.
Noticing where the mind is at in this moment and if it's thinking again,
Just labeling it,
Whatever is going on,
No need to judge it.
Just returning back to the breath,
Beginning again.
Speaking of Once more,
Just checking in if the mind is wandering,
Just noticing where the thoughts are,
The content,
Offering that simple label,
Ruminating,
Worrying,
Planning,
Thinking,
Letting go of the thoughts,
And just returning back to the next breath.
As we come to the end of our practice together,
I think I'd take a few moments just to invite us to drop any effort of focusing on the breath,
Of labeling our thoughts,
Letting all that effort fall away and just resting in the sense of spaciousness where thoughts are moving like clouds across the sky.
So we're resting in that sky-like awareness,
Noticing no cloud,
No matter how big,
How stormy passes through,
That it doesn't obscure that blue sky-like awareness that's present.
So we're just easing into that for the last few moments of our practice,
Resting in the stillness.
We're properly resting in the same low train with our Cathleen micro- tactile style meditation.
When you feel ready,
Just beginning to come back into the space,
Maybe making small sensations,
Small movements with the hands or the feet,
Just waking up the body again,
Opening the eyes if they've been closed.
And as you come out of this practice and into the rest of your day,
Just noticing if you can bring this labeling practice into moments when you notice the mind is busy or is lost in thought.
Just becoming aware of what happens when you apply that label and let the thought keep moving.
