So let's settle in and practice some mindfulness meditation together.
First,
Bringing attention to body.
And if you're seated,
Your feet comfortably resting upon the floor.
And thighs and bottom supported by the chair.
And inviting a comfortable rising up of spine towards sky,
Not anything forced or rigid,
Just stacking one vertebrae atop the other through the low back,
Mid back,
Neck,
All the way up through crown,
Top of skull.
And then maybe a few shoulder rolls if you're like me and a little stiff this morning,
Loosening up those shoulders,
Inviting shoulders to loosen and lower on torso.
Arms draping down from shoulders and hands finding a comfortable resting place,
Perhaps resting upon thighs or cupped within lap,
Whichever you prefer in this moment.
And allowing the head to be comfortably resting and supported atop spine and shoulders.
Loosening jaw.
And eyes either opened or closed,
Whichever you prefer in this moment.
Settling in to this posture that's there.
One that allows a gentle aligning.
As well as promoting awakefulness to mind.
Bringing your attention all the way down into toes and feet,
And just noticing what sensations are found within toes and feet.
Greeting those sensations with a.
.
.
Curiosity of just noticing.
Bringing your attention now up into calves.
Thighs,
And hips.
Just noticing what sensations are found within the muscle,
Bone,
And tissue of your legs in this moment.
Greeting those sensations with a kind curiosity.
Continuing this sweeping through body,
Through mind.
Our torso region,
So down in our low back and belly.
Mid back and chest and upper back.
Just noticing.
Greeting all sensations with a kind curiosity.
Bringing your attention now into fingers and hands,
Forearms and arms.
Just noticing.
What sensations are found within this region and greeting those sensations with a kind curiosity.
Bringing your attention now into shoulders and neck and rising up the back of head.
And a common region that we may carry some tension,
Maybe some residual tension,
Can just checking in,
Noticing.
Creating any sensations with a.
.
.
Kind curiosity.
Moving your attention forward now across ears and jaw,
Muscles around mouth.
Upwards across cheeks and nose.
Muscles around,
Eyes.
Forehead and temple,
And arriving at crown,
The top of head.
Noticing sensations within this region of face and creating those sensations of a kind curiosity.
And now having tended to body with a sweeping of attention from toes all the way up through crown.
Now,
Bringing attention to body breathing is a home base for our attention during this practice.
Where do you notice breathing happening within the body?
Just bringing your attention to these physical sensations as a way of inviting your full presence into body and into this moment.
And perhaps during that tending to body,
You noticed an area that maybe did have some discomfort or even aches and pain this morning.
And we can use our awareness as a way of further bringing some.
Compassion to this region of body in this moment.
In a way to further enhance this connecting with this region of body,
If you're comfortable doing so.
You can place your hand upon this region of body that maybe is calling out for a little extra attention this morning.
Placing your hand atop this region and allowing the gentle pressure and warmth of touch.
To invite in a little more caring to this region of the body.
Just bringing your attention in here almost as like a healing balm that we're.
.
.
Gently applying into this region of pain or tension.
And bringing the intention not to necessarily fix or change what we're experiencing in this region of the body,
But much the same way that a mother would gently hold a cranky baby in the moment.
Maybe you've got a cranky body part today.
Just bringing this loving awareness into this region.
Holding it gently in your field of awareness as it is.
And recognizing that when we bring attention into a body region that maybe has some soreness or even pain,
There may be a story attached.
And just acknowledging the presence of that story in our minds.
Maybe even a reaction to that story as well,
And just acknowledging the story and the reaction.
And then allowing that story,
That mental chatter to fade into the background and coming back just to this gently,
Kindly holding this region in our awareness.
Maybe even offering ourselves some compassion.
Just acknowledging the presence of this discomfort or ache.
Recognizing at any time,
If this becomes a little overwhelming too much,
We can always come back to just being with the body breathing as it is,
As another act of compassion towards ourselves.
Mindfulness is never about grating your teeth and forcing yourself through something.
It's always with this.
Foundation of kindness,
Caring for self and others.
Now expanding your awareness with each breath.
Beyond just this region of tension or tightness or ache.
Expanding your awareness to include breath by breath your entire body.
From head to toe and fingertip to fingertip.
And noticing how this region of ache or discomfort or pain is just experience within your entire experience of body.
Sometimes these regions of ache or discomfort,
In a sense,
Define us.
And allowing your awareness to expand to acknowledge your full presence.
In this moment your full body.
Always having the option to come back to just body breathing as a way of coming back home,
Settling in.
Grounding.
And exploring the possibility that even though there may be some ache or discomfort or pain within a region of body,
I am okay in this moment.
Not taking my word for it,
But exploring that for yourself,
Trying that on.
I am okay in this moment.
There is some fascinating research that it's the same regions of brain or networks involved in physical pain and emotional pain as well.
They're more similar than different.
And inviting ourselves to perhaps play and practice with this approach,
Not just with physical pain,
But when we're experiencing maybe some emotional discomfort as well.
As an act of compassion towards self.
Now if your eyes were closed,
Slowly open your eyes and visually taking in surroundings.
And if you've done these meditations with me before,
You know I'm a big fan of a stretch,
Just slow,
Gentle movement at the end.
Nanolyze it.
Something that feels good to body,
But it also allows us to transition back into the activity of our day.
So thank you.
Pleasure hanging out with you all,
And until we meet again,
May you be well,
May you be at peace.
