Welcome,
It's my pleasure to guide you today in this mindfulness practice bringing gentle non-judgmental awareness to your thoughts and emotions,
Your internal landscape,
Taking a few moments to find a comfortable position for meditating,
Sitting or lying in a way that respects your practice,
That allows you to feel alert and yet relaxed,
And if you feel comfortable to closing down your eyes now,
Where you can lower and soften your gaze.
Ground yourself here in this moment by feeling where your body meets the surface below you and see if you can get a sense of being held,
Supported.
Leaning further inwards now,
Find the natural flow of breath in your body,
The inhale,
The exhale,
Flowing in,
Flowing out,
And with every in-breath and every out-breath,
Feel yourself softening,
Settling,
Transitioning towards the quietness and stillness within.
As you breathe in and out through the nose,
Curiously note the qualities of the breath here.
Is it fast or slow?
Does it flow easily or with any constriction?
Perhaps it feels cool on the inhale and warmer on the exhale?
Do you hear any sound or feel any tingles?
Is the breath shallow or deep,
Most vivid in your chest or in your belly?
Whatever you feel or notice is absolutely fine.
There's no need to judge the breath or try to change or control it.
Allow it to be exactly as it is in this moment,
Simply resting your non-judgmental awareness on the breath flowing in and flowing out.
And if you feel distracted or uneasy at any time in this meditation,
You can always return to the breath,
Your anchor to the present moment,
Shifting your focus now to the mind and gently noticing what is happening here.
Is the mind busy or quiet?
Are you distracted by any particular thoughts?
Perhaps something from earlier in the day or happening later?
Or is the mind blank?
And that's fine too.
There's no need to strive to produce thoughts,
Just be aware of what is.
So whatever thought arises for you next,
Simply label it with a smile.
Oh yeah,
That's a punning thought.
Or perhaps a worry,
A doubt.
Resisting the temptation to react to the thought.
There's no need to censor it or suppress it even.
Allow it to be seen,
Acknowledged and then released,
Like a leaf drifting off down the river.
And when the next thought arises,
Don't cling to it or dwell on its content.
Don't layer on words or judgments or reactions,
Just give it your bare attention until it passes.
All too often we accept our thoughts as facts or truths.
We spin them into stories and become entangled in them,
Thrown off by their emotional charge.
And this can generate suffering.
So when the next thought arises,
See if you can catch it as it buds.
Resist the temptation to water it and watch it wilt away.
Now shifting your attention to your heart space,
To your emotions,
Placing your hand on your heart if this feels right and asking yourself how you feel in this moment.
Is there an emotion you can name?
Sadness?
Joy?
Fear?
Peace?
Or something more vague?
Subtle?
Simply observe any feeling arising,
Without judgment,
Without reaction.
Bringing a gentle curiosity to the emotion.
Does it have a location in your body?
Quality or vibration?
Even a color?
Do you notice your body responding to any emotion?
Perhaps feeling tense or restless?
Or the opposite,
Calm and relaxed?
As with thoughts,
Our emotions will come and go.
They are impermanent and they do not define us.
You might view your emotions as visitors,
Knowing there's no need to invite them to stay.
Simply sit with them until they are ready to leave.
Now let's take some time to simply be with our emotions.
Witness them with detached curiosity.
Let them come and go like trains at the station,
Resisting the urge to jump aboard.
I will hold space for you while you practice.
As we draw towards the end of today's meditation,
Let's take three more mindful breaths and returning to the room by feeling where your body meets the surface below you.
Inviting back any movement you wish,
Such as wiggling fingers and toes,
Rolling shoulders,
Stretching in any way that feels good.
When you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for your practice today.
I hope you found some calm and peace observing your thoughts and emotions in a mindful way and that you can take this practice forward into your day to help you find that precious pause between a thought or emotion and your response.
