Welcome to today's short practice.
This is Ocean Mind.
So to begin today's practice,
I'm going to invite you to keep the eyes open and to just focus on the middle of the room where you are.
Focus on the middle of the room where you are.
And now let your attention go to the far wall away from where you're sitting.
So moving the attention from the middle of the room to the far wall away from where you're sitting.
And if you're lying flat you can let your attention go to the ceiling.
And then notice how you can let your attention come back to the middle of the room.
And then your attention can come to about book reading distance.
As if you're reading a book in your hands.
And you may notice that you can determine where your attention goes.
And now if it's comfortable,
I invite you to let your eyes close down and to bring that attention inward.
And we'll be focusing on the breath and on the sensations of the breath.
You can let your attention go to wherever the breath comes most naturally to you.
For some people it's around the nostrils.
Noticing the sensation of the air gently coming in and out of the nostrils.
Others naturally feel the breath at the level of the chest with the rising and falling of the chest with every half breath in and out.
And others feel the breath most naturally at the level of the abdomen.
Noticing the belly expanding and contracting.
We'll take a few moments now and just let your awareness ride the wave through the breath wherever you feel it most naturally.
Your nostrils,
Your chest,
Your abdominal movement.
Or for some people it's even just the whole body breathing.
Whatever comes naturally for you.
Let's just let your attention ride the wave of your breathing as you're sensing your breath in and out.
I'm gonna tell you an ancient story that's been passed through the generations about the mind being like an ocean.
We're deep in the ocean beneath the surface.
It's calm and clear and from that deep place in the ocean you can look upward toward the surface and at the surface no matter what the conditions are.
Whether it's flat or choppy or even a full storm.
No matter what the conditions are.
Deep in the ocean it's calm and clear and just sensing the breath allows you to go to the depth of the ocean of your mind.
Where from this deep tranquil place you can look upward at the waves at the surface.
The brainwaves that are the activities of your mind.
That from this deep place in your mind you can just notice the thinking or feeling or perceiving.
All those feelings that are just there at the surface and notice them as being activities that come and go in and out of awareness.
Like ripples on a pond.
And just sensing your breath brings you to this tranquil place in the depth of your mind.
So let's take a few moments right now to just sense your breath and when an activity of the mind brings your attention to it.
Like a thought,
A feeling,
A memory,
A sensation.
You can lovingly and gently take note of that mental activity and redirect your attention to your breath.
For some people it's helpful to just make a gentle mental note.
So if there's a thought you can gently say in your mind,
Thinking.
Or if there's a sensation you can just gently say sensing.
And then let your attention return to the breath.
To this depth of your mind where you can just sense and observe the activities of the mind.
It's just that,
Just activities and not the totality of who you are.
So just taking a little more time here to just sense your breath.
And when you come to notice that your mind is no longer focusing on the breath,
Lovingly and gently take note of that and return your attention to your breathing.
And in just a few moments we'll bring this short exercise to a close and you can just let yourself enjoy the deep tranquility that comes from just sensing the breath.
Knowing that just focusing your mind on your breathing can bring you to a deep place of calm and clarity.
And now in your own time,
Whenever you feel comfortable and ready,
You can begin to slowly open the eyes to reorientate yourself with your surroundings.
Noticing some familiar items in your space.
Perhaps bringing some gentle movement back into the body.
Acknowledging yourself for taking this time to go through this ocean mind practice today.
And wishing you a peaceful and enjoyable day.
