The Basics

Sometimes we just need to return to playing with the basics of mindfulness meditation. In this meditation, we once again practice noble posture, choosing a focal point, and coming back home. We greet all that you encounter with attitudes of mindfulness.

Transcript

Let's begin. And for today, Let's start with standing up. And the chance to just bring a little movement into body, Feeling feet in contact with the floor, Maybe a little side to side weight shift, Little bend in the knees. And then reaching arms way up towards the sky. Just one side and the other reaching up high. Towards the sky. And then pushing your arms way out to the sides like you're taking flight like a great bird all the way down to your sides. Shaking your arms out a little bit. And then join me back in a seated position. Settling back in. Feeling the floor supporting the soles of feet. And thighs and bottom supported by the chair. And then inviting a comfortable rising up of spine, One vertebrae stacking atop the other. Through lumbar, Low back. Through the thoracic or torso. Rising up through the cervical region or neck. Then rising all the way up through skull pointing up towards sky. Not forcing a particular rigid posture. One way of framing this up is a strong back and a soft front. So combining those two qualities through this comfortable rising up of spine. And maybe a shoulder roll or two, Noticing any tension in the shoulders and inviting shoulders to loosen and lower on torso. Arms draping down from shoulders, And hands finding a comfortable resting place, Maybe resting upon thighs or cupped within lap. And then bringing awareness to the position of head atop spine and shoulders and Similar to the way that you would gently push a. . . Drawer back into a chest, Sliding your head back. Not forcing, But just sliding it back to rest atop spine and shoulders. And noticing if there's any tension being carried in jaw and inviting jaw to loosen. Lips either gently touching or slightly parted, Whichever you find more comfortable in this moment. And then eyes either open with a soft gaze in front, Not looking for anything, Just receiving the light, Or allowing lids to lower, Eyes to close. Settling into this posture, Balancing gentleness to body and wakefulness to mind. And as a way of further arriving into body and into this moment, Bringing your attention all the way down into your toes and feet. Noticing the presence of any tension or tightness. Inviting a letting go as best as you can. Bringing your attention now up into calves, Thighs, And hips. Noticing tension. Inviting, Letting go as best as you can. Bringing your attention now up into belly and low back. Ribs and mid-back. And chest and upper back. Noticing tension. Inviting, Letting go. Bringing your attention now into arms and forearms and hands. Noticing tension. And inviting and letting go. Then bringing your attention into shoulders and neck. Rising up the back of the head. Moving around the sides, Ears, And jaw. A round face. And all the way up to crown, The top of head. Noticing tension. Inviting, Letting go, As best as you can. And now having practiced some self-care by checking into body. Inviting your attention to come to rest upon the sensations of breathing. Wherever you find it easiest to make direct contact with body breathing. Perhaps feeling the rise and fall of chest and belly. Or the movement of air through nose or mouth. Not needing to change or manipulate breathing, Trusting our bodies will breathe as needed in this moment and simply. Feeling those sensations in this moment. In this space. And I do want to honor that for some folks, Breathing is not necessarily a sensation. Of ease or comfort to focus upon and that's okay. You can choose any. Direct sensory experience in this moment as a way of inviting your attention into this moment. So some other options are feet in contact with the floor. Hands resting upon thighs. Any direct sensory experience is a invitation bringing our attention and our full selves into this moment, Into this space. Today we're just going to play with the basics. So we've already tended to our posture. We've already established what our sensory focal point will be body breathing or perhaps something else. And this third aspect of the basics of mindfulness meditation is coming back home. At some point, Our focus will drift. That's just a natural tendency. That's what our minds do. Sometimes it may be a sound in our environment or something else that attracts our attention, And then more often than not, The Google in our heads will start associating with that, Maybe pulling up memories of the past or. Anticipations of the future. And mindfulness meditation isn't about stopping any of that natural occurrence. Our minds are wonderful the way it can generate thoughts. That's okay. With the basics of a mindfulness practice. When we notice we've drifted off, We just acknowledge, Oh look, I've drifted away. If you'd like, You can even for a moment notice what pulled your attention away, Maybe even labeling it. It could be a sound or thinking or even a category of thinking, Memory, Analyzing, Worrying. Just acknowledging where focus drifted off to. And as always, Bringing in the attitudes of mindfulness. And so if you find that you're judging yourself for what you're thinking about, Just label that judging. If you're thinking this shouldn't be happening, You're striving for peace or quiet or whatever, Just label that striving. If you're finding yourself impatient, Like when will this be over? Just label that impatience. Bringing those attitudes of mindfulness. Into your awareness. And then gently, Kindly coming back home to body breathing or whatever your sensory focal point is in this moment. These are the basics of a mindfulness practice, Discovering what opportunities dwell within hanging out here, Applying the basics. Breathing. Observing this unfolding moment. Letting go of Anticipation, Worry, Have-to's, To-do's, Letting go of all of that. Simply coming back home to the space-time of here. Now. And if you experience a particular thought or emotion, They typically arrive in a package together. That has some degree of unpleasantness to it. Notice your reaction to that. Then explore the possibility of your awareness can expand large enough just to let that thought and emotion be. Is one aspect, One layer of your experience. I don't have to do anything with it beyond just letting it be in my presence. For a breath or two. What do thoughts and emotions do if we just let them be? And if we want to take this even bigger, Noticing this self that can take a step back and just observe the presence of the thought and emotion. Sometimes this experience is called witnessing or observing. This me that is. Capable of stepping back and just creating space for whatever shows up in this moment. A moment of touching that experience, That self. So we're not trying to make any special state or experience happen beyond just experiencing life as it unfolds in this moment. One metaphor for this experience is a forest pool and how the surface of that pool of water is really dependent upon the weather to be choppy or calm. If you drop in deep enough into that pool, Regardless of what the surface is like, Down deep, There's a stillness, A quiet. You don't have to make that happen. It's simply. Waiting, We allow ourselves to drop down beneath the clutter and the chaos. And it's not to say the clutter and the chaos is good or bad, Or the quiet is good or bad. It's just acknowledging the capacity of settling in. We don't wrestle against the chaos. Just by practicing the basics, Tending to body. Focusing on breath. Noticing you've drifted away, Gently, Kindly coming back home to body and breathing. And now. Opening eyes and reconnecting with surroundings. Maybe a little stretch as a way of transitioning back into activity and doing from this place of observing this witnessing self. So thank you so much for joining me today and until we meet again, May you be well.