Hi there,
My name is Sam Squire and I'm going to be talking a little bit about mindfulness and meditation before I lead you through a short guided practice.
So first of all I just wanted to share a bit about mindfulness and why it's so wonderful and why we all need to do it no matter who you are or where you're from and that's one of my favorite parts about mindfulness is that it truly is such a universal practice and it's so simple,
Accessible,
Free,
Easy to do and has such a tremendous amount of benefits so for example,
Truly what we're doing through meditation and mindfulness is we are tending to our nervous system.
The same way we work out for our physical health and our physical bodies by spending time just being and tapping into the power of our own breath,
We are soothing our nervous system,
We are learning how to self-regulate and why do those things?
Well because then we can simply be happier,
Healthier human beings who are able to show up more fully in the world and even more importantly as our true selves.
Sometimes it's pretty easy to get really disconnected from who we are or what we want when we are rushing through the motions of life and mindfulness is an invitation to pause,
To be in the moment without any judgment and observe and notice what is present for you.
And yeah,
Before I guide you through this short practice,
If you're wondering how to set up for meditation or what time to practice meditation,
I just want to let you know that there's no wrong answer.
Any time,
Any position for your body would be great but if you need a bit more guidance than that I'll share some of my favorite times or best tips with you and that is if you can make time in the morning,
That is a great time to meditate and really helps set you up for a great and more clear day for sure.
I also think it's great to do a midday meditation especially if you know you're at work and if you're working from home these days you can go lay down,
Go sit in a different room and just take a few moments to breathe before heading back to a screen.
It's also great to meditate before bed if you have a really busy mind and you need a way to wind down before bed,
Meditation can be great for that.
When it comes to mindfulness,
I do recommend a seated position.
If you have any hip pain you can prop rolled up towels or pillows under the sides of your knees or sit against a wall to help you support your spine.
That being said,
If you have anything going on in your body and you just want to lay down,
Sit in a chair or take any other position,
I just want you to know that that is perfectly okay too.
So,
I'll invite you to get yourself set up and then we will begin our short guided practice.
As you settle,
I invite you to keep your eyes open.
I invite you to gaze around the space that you are practicing in right now.
Taking note of what you observe.
There's no need to judge your experience but just simply notice scanning your environment,
Your external environment.
If and when it feels comfortable and safe,
I invite you to close your eyes.
Taking time to explore your internal landscape.
Bringing awareness to your breath.
Following the journey of your breath into and out of your lungs.
Taking time to notice what it feels like in your body as you breathe.
Feeling that soft expansion and contraction of your lungs and your ribs.
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out,
I am fully present.
Breathing in,
I am here.
Breathing out,
I am fully present.
Gently shifting attention from your breath to your body.
As we start to make our way throughout the physical body,
Scanning the body,
Bringing mindful and loving attention to each area of the body and perhaps inviting in a bit of ease,
Especially to those areas that we carry tension.
Bringing awareness down to your feet.
Noticing your feet.
Perhaps even taking a moment to be in gratitude for your feet and all that they do for you.
Carrying you through each day.
Perhaps even offering a silent thank you to your feet.
Gently bringing attention into your legs.
Noticing sensation in your body.
Your strong and amazing legs and all that they do for you.
And gently guiding awareness into your hips and pelvis.
Exploring sensation in your torso.
Not to label anything as good or bad,
But just taking time to be with the body,
With the breath.
The trunk of your body,
Your core,
Your spine,
This area that houses all of your internal organs.
Can we say a silent thank you for this area?
Bringing attention into the arms,
The hands and the fingers.
Noticing sensation or perhaps lack of sensation.
And perhaps offering a silent thank you.
And then moving on to the neck,
The jaw,
Exploring sensation in your face.
Your face and all the muscles in your face that allow you to be so expressive throughout your days.
Softening and relaxing any tension in the face,
Especially around the eyes and the mouth.
Sensing your way up to the crown of your head.
Taking a moment to feel and sense your whole body.
Sensing tension or ease and breathing into all of it.
Feel your whole body breathing.
I invite you to take a moment of gratitude for your body.
It works so hard.
Often we don't spend enough time just being,
Just resting.
And in today's world,
Rest is often perceived as a reward.
I invite you to reframe that.
Reminding yourself that rest too is a way of being productive.
Your body needs it.
Your mind needs it.
Continue to breathe into this sense of rest and ease.
This sense of gratitude that we just cultivated together.
Giving yourself permission to rest and to simply dwell in your breath for one more moment.
Simply bring your attention back to your body and feel gravity pulling you towards the earth.
Feel the grounding sensation of your sit bones on the earth or whatever part of your body is supported by something beneath you.
You can gently start to deepen your breath,
Inhaling through your nose,
Exhaling out your mouth.
Again inhale.
Again exhale.
As our mindfulness practice comes to an end,
When it feels right for you,
You can add some movement to the body,
The wrists,
Ankles,
Toes,
Fingers.
And if it feels right to take a big stretch and reach your arms up and overhead,
Then take that whatever you,
Your body,
Your mind need in this moment.
If thank you is the only prayer you ever say,
It is enough.
It's one of my favorite quotes.
So that's how I choose to end all of my practices.
So I just want to say thank you.
Thank you so much for taking the time for you.
Thank you for taking time to rest.
And never forget that rest too is so productive.
