Now,
Setting aside whatever you've been doing,
Sometimes we try to sneak in one more thing and giving ourselves the gift of setting that aside too.
And given ourselves this opportunity to practice self-care.
And let's settle in and practice some mindfulness together.
First,
Tending to body by choosing a posture that'll be kind to body and invite a wakefulness.
So feet comfortably resting upon the floor and feeling that support through the soles of your feet.
Thighs and bottom supported by the chair.
Choosing today whether your back needs some support as well or inviting a unsupported back.
Either way,
A gentle rising up of spine through torso,
Through neck,
And then through the top of head,
Pointing up towards sky.
And perhaps a shoulder roll or two,
Inviting shoulders to loosen and lower on torso.
Arms draping down from shoulders.
Hands finding a comfortable resting place,
Perhaps resting upon thighs or cupped within laps.
Positioning head so it's supported not by the muscles of the neck but by spine and shoulders.
Loosening of jaw.
Lips either gently touching or slightly parted.
And eyes either opened or closed,
Whichever you prefer in this moment.
And recognizing that these are just suggestions for how.
To position body in this moment.
Ultimately,
You determine what feels good,
What feels supported,
What feels comfortable in this moment.
One of the basic premises of mindfulness is checking in with self to make a determination.
So I only provide an invitation of checking in and then you decide,
What do I need in this moment?
We actually can practice meditation lying down or standing up or walking.
So determining for self what seems like a good fit for myself today in this moment.
And then bringing attention all the way down into toes and feet and noticing any residual tension or tightness and inviting a letting go as best as you can.
Bringing attention now up into calves and thighs and hips.
Just noticing.
Any tension or tightness here and inviting,
Letting go as best as you can.
Bringing your attention now into belly and low back.
Ribs and mid-back and chest and upper back.
Noticing any tension and inviting a letting go as best as you can.
Bringing your attention now into arms and forearms and hands.
Noticing tension.
Inviting,
Letting go.
Bringing attention now into shoulders and neck.
Rising up the back of head.
Noticing tension.
Inviting,
Letting go.
Now moving your attention forward across ears and jaw.
Muscles around mouth.
Upwards across cheeks and nose.
Muscles around eyes.
Forehead and temple.
And arrive in a crown on the top of head.
Notice the intention.
Inviting,
Letting go,
As best as you can.
Now having practiced this deepening presence within body,
Directing attention to the physical sensations of body breathing.
Wherever you find it easiest to make direct contact with the sensations of breathing.
Perhaps the rise and fall of chest and belly.
Or the movement of air through nose or mouth.
Not needing to change or manipulate the breath,
Just feeling this experience of body breathing in this moment.
Letting that be a way of inviting your full presence into body and into this moment.
And when we practice mindfulness meditation,
It's not just about.
.
.
The body and breathing,
It's also about noticing when our focus has drifted away.
That's actually part of the practice.
That's not a failure or doing something wrong.
That's actually doing it all right.
Oh look,
My focus has drifted away.
That is practicing mindfulness,
Noticing that as well.
And then with gentleness and kindness,
We usher our focus back to our primary focus,
In this case,
Body breathing once again.
It's so common and even sometimes a necessity in our day-to-day activities where we do practice judging something as right or wrong,
Good or bad,
Left or right,
Up or down.
And there certainly is a place and time for that.
And when we practice mindfulness meditation,
It's an opportunity to be present in another way.
Setting aside the need of having to make that type of determination.
And just experiencing this moment as it is without the need to apply a label to it.
What is there to be discovered when we set aside the activity of judging,
Suspending that?
Just being with this moment as it is.
So often when I am teaching about the qualities or characteristics of mindfulness,
People hear about non-judging,
Like,
Well,
That sounds great,
But I can't do that.
And the first step is actually just noticing when we do.
Judging.
Whether it's during our practice or the rest of our day,
Just noticing that tendency.
I can't do something and observe it at the same time.
And so committing to noticing when we're doing judging,
It's really the first step to setting it aside and opening to what is.
There's some humor to be found when we're practicing mindfulness and we start judging,
Judging.
It is coming back,
Noticing the tendency.
That in itself begins to let it dissipate,
Set aside.
When do we start to notice when we set aside the doing of judging and bring a simple presence into contact with this moment as it is?
What gifts and opportunities dwell beneath that we give space to?
Recognizing how judging creates a sort of filtering and what do we discover when we lift that filter.
Freedom perhaps dwells beyond that filtering.
In mind.
In body.
And emotions.
In relationships.
And inviting ourselves,
Even after this formal meditation is done,
To carry this practice into my day.
Noticing what am I practicing?
Or what am I doing?
Judging out of habit?
And instead asking,
Is it needed here?
Or is this an opportunity to set it aside and see what else dwells beneath?
Now opening your eyes if they were closed,
Inviting in the light and surroundings.
Maybe a little gentle movement or stretch as a way of transitioning back into the doing of the day.
And thank you,
I always appreciate your presence and commitment to self-care.
We're changing the world one meditation at a time,
So thanks for joining me in that effort.
And please enjoy your day and be well.
Goodbye now.
