G'day,
My name is Rachel Grace.
Thanks for joining me for this mindfulness practice entitled,
It's Okay Not to Know.
This practice is designed to strengthen the ability to bring mindful attitudes like acceptance,
Non-striving,
Letting be,
And patience to life's ever-changing,
Unpredictable nature so we can find a way to be at ease with things just as they are.
It's midway through 2020 as I record this practice for you.
And most,
If not all of us,
Are enduring enormous upheaval as the coronavirus pandemic has thrown our usual ways of life into disarray.
As we'd say here in Australia,
There's more uncertainty than you can poke a stick at.
The level of disruption to lives and livelihoods is significant.
So wherever and however this practice finds you,
My heart is with you for the way this 2020 pandemic may be affecting you.
In times like these when there's massive disruption,
It's understandable for difficult states of mind to arise.
More than usual,
We may be encountering strong or persistent states of worry,
Fear,
Doubt,
And anxiety.
And this can make it hard to concentrate,
Can disrupt our sleep,
Put us in a bad mood which undermines our capacity to connect with the people we love the most.
We may find our thinking getting propelled off to obsessively planning for the future in some kind of feeble attempt to control the uncontrollable future.
It's a really demanding time and for many of us it's impacting our mental health.
So arguably more than ever,
It's helpful and really important to take time out for dedicated mindfulness practices that can support the mind's capacity to be strong,
Flexible,
Open,
And resilient.
So this mindfulness exercise is designed to help support the mind to be steady and healthy in the face of all of this uncertainty.
In this short practice you'll be invited to notice and simply accept whatever states of mind might be present for you in this moment,
Including difficult states of mind that may arise.
It's next to impossible to know what the future might hold,
But there's an opportunity to access a state of calm and steadiness in the midst of whatever storm we're in right here right now in this moment by meeting whatever states of mind arise with a gentle awareness and a kind acceptance.
That's what we'll practice here.
So let's begin.
So to prepare for this practice I invite you to find a sitting posture that allows you to be both alert but also relaxed.
As you settle into this posture I invite you to just take a moment to notice the environment around you.
You might like to take a look around at the space you're in,
Noticing that and then noticing the sounds that are around you too.
Just allowing yourself to arrive in the space and place you're in.
Then I invite you to join me in taking a deep breath in,
Filling the lungs right up.
And then as you exhale gently and slowly,
Releasing all the air from your lungs,
Allowing your eyes to gently close or if you prefer letting your eyes be downcast with a soft gaze towards the floor.
And we'll begin the practice with the ring of a gong.
Just breathing in a natural and gentle rhythm.
Noticing the physical sensations in the body that accompany your breathing.
Noticing how it feels in the body as you breathe in and out in a natural and gentle rhythm.
Now bringing your awareness to the body,
Noticing how the body feels in this moment.
Without judging what it feels like,
Just noticing with curiosity what does it feel like right now,
Opening to all the different sensations in the body.
And noticing what the state of your heart and mind is right now.
Holding whatever is there with a gentle and kind attention.
Now I invite you to become aware of the thoughts or images that arise in the mind.
Allowing yourself to simply be aware of the thoughts as they pass through the mind.
Without getting caught up in the thoughts,
Just noticing the thoughts.
And pay particular attention to any thoughts or feelings of doubt or uncertainty that may arise.
Noticing yourself that it's okay not to know.
Whatever states of mind arise,
Including if you experience worry or anxiety,
Just let the states of mind that arise become the object of your mindful attention.
Be curious about it instead of judging it.
Opening to noticing the thoughts with a gentle and kind awareness instead of ignoring or resisting them.
Just noticing the thoughts as they arise with a gentle and kind awareness now.
Seeing each state of mind with a steady awareness,
Being curious about its qualities.
If anxiety arises,
Notice it.
Anxiety feels like this.
If sadness arises,
Notice it.
Sadness feels like this.
If uncertainty arises,
Just notice it.
Recognize that uncertainty feels like this.
If worry arises,
Notice it.
Notice that worrying,
It feels like this.
If obsessive planning arises,
Just notice.
Planning feels like this.
So being mindful of how different thoughts or emotions are experienced,
Getting to know them without getting lost or carried away by them,
But simply seeing them as different thoughts and emotions,
Noticing how they feel,
Noticing them arise and fade away in the open space of the mind.
If you find that the mind is getting caught up and lost in a train of thought rather than just noticing the thoughts,
You can always return back to awareness of the body breathing,
Awareness of different sensations in the body to steady your attention before returning to noticing the thoughts that are arising and the feelings that are associated with each thought.
So continue to be curious now about the thoughts as they arise,
Noticing how they're experienced and what each state of mind feels like.
Letting go of judging or analyzing the thoughts,
Just continually noticing each thought as it arises with curiosity.
Continuing to be curious about thoughts as they arise,
Noticing how they're experienced,
How they feel,
And also how they arise and fade away in their own time.
You might like to add an inquiry to the practice here too,
Asking of each thought as it arises,
Is this useful right now?
For example,
Is this planning useful?
Sometimes it is useful to plan,
But sometimes we can get caught in endless planning thought loops that are really not leading us to a helpful place.
Asking the question,
Is it useful,
Can help us discern if the planning or any other preoccupation of the mind is helpful,
Or if in this moment is something we can begin to let go of.
Just noticing when preoccupations in the mind arise,
Whether that be for planning or problem solving,
Blaming or worrying.
For these kinds of repeating thoughts,
Gently and kindly inquiring within,
Is this useful in this moment,
Or is this something I can begin to let go of in this moment?
And if I find it hard to let go of,
Can I begin to be kind to myself?
Is this helpful?
Is this thought helpful?
If it's not,
Can I begin to let go of it?
If I find it hard to let go of,
Can I just bring myself kindness for this difficulty?
Learning to be at ease with different states of mind,
Learning to be at ease with uncertainty,
Getting to an acceptance of the experience of not knowing,
And just resting in awareness,
Right here,
Right now,
Resting in awareness of all the states of mind that arise.
As we practice noticing different states of mind with curiosity,
We're learning to just be with all the different kinds of states of mind as they arise,
Whatever they are,
With greater emotional steadiness and greater mental balance.
This can be really helpful not just here in our mindfulness practice,
But in our day-to-day lives.
So just continuing to notice the thoughts as they arise,
Noticing how they feel.
If there's a preoccupation in the mind,
Just asking gently,
Is this helpful?
Can I begin to let this go now,
In this moment?
If it's difficult to let go of,
Can I be kind to myself for this challenge,
In this challenge,
Bringing myself kindness?
If there's a lot of uncertainty and the mind is meeting that uncertainty with lots of planning,
Just noticing that and reminding the mind that it's okay not to know.
It's okay not to know.
As we move towards the end of the practice now,
I invite you to bring attention back to the breath,
Noticing how it feels in your body as you breathe in and out.
Then I invite you to join me in taking a big breath in,
Filling the lungs right up and then exhaling gently and slowly,
Releasing all the air from your lungs,
Allowing your body and mind to relax and unwind as you let it all go.
And we'll finish the practice with the ring of a gong.
And just taking a moment to notice and savour the impact of this practice on the state of your body and mind.
By practicing mindfulness meditations like these,
You'll be changing your brain for the better and building your capacity to handle life even more skilfully.
So congratulations on this time well spent.
May mindfulness positively impact you,
What you do and all of those around you.
Thank you for practicing with me.
And I hope you'll join me again.
