We're going to practice five minutes of mindfulness.
So the idea is that when we do mindfulness meditation,
We're actually just coming into the present moment,
Being aware of what's happening in the present moment,
And not judging it and not making a story about it,
Or thinking it's good or bad,
Right or wrong.
And we just notice and we allow.
And so let's begin our practice.
And you can keep your eyes open or closed,
Come to a comfortable seat and start to notice how your body is breathing itself,
How you're not making any effort,
But the body is inhaling and exhaling of its own accord.
So we don't need to change the breath,
Just becoming aware,
And moving in on the inhale,
And the air moving out on the exhale.
And as we notice the passage of air through the nostrils,
Into the lungs,
Perhaps into the belly,
Can we feel any sensations that are happening?
Is there any coolness of the air entering the nostrils just at the upper lip?
Maybe the chest expands as you breathe in,
And then the chest contracts,
And the air is a little warmer on the exhale.
What can you feel inside your body as you're breathing?
You may feel a slight lift in your shoulders,
Maybe a broadening of the back as you breathe in,
And then the shoulders soften on the exhale.
Now what are the sounds you can hear?
Can you hear your breath as it enters your body and as it leaves your body?
Can you hear your heart beating?
Can you hear the sound of water running in the background,
The sound of my voice?
Can you hear any white noise in your ears?
There may be some sounds from outside the room,
Out on the street,
Up in the sky,
Maybe something's happening in your kitchen.
Just notice the sounds.
You don't need to judge,
You don't need to criticize or get disturbed.
Just allow the sounds to come and allow them to fade away.
And you may be having a stream of thoughts in your mind,
A laundry list,
A to-do list,
And that's okay.
We allow the thoughts to arise,
We notice and acknowledge them,
And then allow them to float away like leaves on a stream,
And we come back to the breath and we begin again.
And so we take a few moments of silent witnessing,
Observing,
Anything you can hear,
Anything you can feel.
Just allow the observer to take over,
Allow there to be no kind of backchat in your mind about what you're thinking or what you're doing.
Allow yourself this moment of pause to just be inside your inner landscape,
Feeling calmer,
More refreshed,
And ready to face the day ahead.
And we take one deep breath in through the nose,
Sighing out audibly through the mouth,
And we put one palm over the other,
The fingers extend like a butterfly,
Put the palms on the chest,
The heart center,
And we bow our heads in gratitude for today's practice and for that moment of pause and mindfulness that you've given yourself today.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
