Taking a moment to settle into a comfortable position for this focused attention practice.
Establishing a position that supports and reflects wakefulness.
It might be sitting on a chair or perhaps on a cushion.
Closing the eyes if it's comfortable or allowing for a soft gaze.
When practicing with attentional focus,
We bring the attention to rest with a particular object or anchor that feels comfortable,
Familiar,
Accessible,
And neutral.
Offering the mind one thing to rest with and return to when attention wanders.
Some options may include becoming aware of the sensations of breathing,
Experiencing within the body where you feel breath most currently happening.
Perhaps it's in the chest as it expands and contracts or maybe sensations in the nostrils as you feel cold air coming in and hot air coming out.
Or perhaps it's a touch point in the body,
The feet in the contact with the floor or hands as they rest in your lap.
Another option is choosing sound,
Being open and receptive to the noises that may arise within your environment.
So choosing one anchor,
One place for the mind to settle in on and return to when the mind gets distracted or engaged in thinking.
Allowing the resting and returning of attention to be easeful as it's an essential element to practice.
Thoughts may rise up.
This is all normal movement of the mind.
Equally important is the quality of our attending,
Inviting and fostering qualities of gentleness,
Ease and curiosity.
And once again inviting the attention to settle and resting with this anchor and object of focus,
Gently returning back.
And being aware in this moment of what's being attended to and noticing if the mind has gotten caught up with thinking,
Perhaps memories,
Associations,
Images,
And noticing if these thoughts and emotions have any sensations associated in the body,
Discovering how we're reacting to our moment to moment experience,
And choosing to return attention to the anchor that you're working with for this practice as often as is needed.
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And once again just checking in and gently guiding yourself back to your anchor,
And noticing what's here in this moment.
And allowing my voice to serve as a support in recognizing what is being attended to,
And guiding attention back to the touch point,
Whether it's sound,
Breath,
Or attentiveness in these final moments.
Now becoming more deliberate of your breathing,
Taking three deep breaths at a pace that is most comfortable for you,
And taking the breath to return to a natural rhythm and flow,
Opening the eyes if they're closed,
Taking a moment to connect with how you are right now.
What is your experience in this moment?
And just some gentle movement to the body,
Knowing that as you move throughout your day,
You can always come back to the anchor that you practiced with.
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