Welcome to this open awareness practice.
We begin by finding a posture that will allow you to be both alert and relaxed at the same time.
Close your eyes if you are comfortable doing so,
Or just let your gaze soften without focusing on anything in particular.
Feel your feet on the floor.
Feel the contact with your chair.
Notice your hands.
Now lengthen your spine and let your shoulders soften.
Notice your jaw.
Notice your forehead.
Just let go of any tension.
Now whatever you observe is fine.
See if you can accept it as part of your awareness in this moment without changing or holding onto anything.
Now focus your attention on your breath and stay there for a few full cycles of breath.
Notice your inhales.
And your exhales.
And the spaces in between.
Now open yourself up to notice and name all of the experiences arising in your mind.
When a physical sensation,
A feeling,
A thought or a sound catches your attention,
Name that experience as sensation,
Feeling,
Thought,
Or sound.
Or whatever label feels right.
After naming,
Simply return to the breath as your anchor point.
Then open your attention again to the different experiences and name them once more.
Notice what happens to each of these experiences as you notice and name them.
Do they get stronger or weaker or do they stay the same?
Experiences come,
Are there for a while,
And they leave if we don't try to hold onto them or to push them away.
Can you create a space where all experiences can pass through the mind,
Like clouds in the sky or leaves on a stream?
If you find that your mind has wandered and you stray away from the open awareness practice,
Simply connect with the anchor of your breath and then open your awareness to all experiences again.
As we come to a close,
Take a conscious breath.
Breathe in deeply.
Exhale.
Gently open your eyes if they were closed.
Move your fingers,
Move your hands,
Your arms,
Your feet.
Stretch a little if you like.
And feel free to take an impulse from this meditation into the rest of your day.
And maybe you would like to thank yourself for taking the time today for this practice.
