So we'll just start with settling into awareness of presence.
Perhaps even before closing your eyes.
Taking a look around you,
Noticing any objects in the room that you're in.
Or the place that you are.
Either pleasant or neutral.
Perhaps objects that ground you.
Objects of comfort.
Or neutrality.
Icons,
Idols.
Familiar pieces of furniture,
Pictures.
Let's just start with settling into an awareness of presence in the space that we're in.
Even before closing your eyes.
Observing the objects around you.
Noticing any pleasant or neutral items.
Things that bring you pleasure,
Peace.
Or maybe.
.
.
Either pleasantness or unpleasantness,
Just noticing what's around you.
Getting a sense of the space that you're in.
Recognizing the here and the now of this moment.
If you feel comfortable,
If it feels right to you,
Perhaps closing the eyes now or allowing your gaze to fall unfocused a few feet in front of you.
Noticing any internal physical sensations.
The movement of the chest or the belly as you breathe.
If that brings you a sense of being here and now,
You can place your attention there.
Noticing the rise and fall of the breath.
Whatever rhythm or pace that may be for you.
And if the breath does not happen to be that sense of grounding for you,
Perhaps it's simply the sense of your feet on the floor.
Your body and your seat,
Touching your cushion or your mat.
Maybe it's your hands on your thighs or in your lap.
Of deciding for yourself.
Where is that grounding for me?
You may have a certain phrase.
That helps with feeling anchored.
Perhaps saying here.
On your next inhale.
Repeating the word now on your next exhale.
And for others,
Certain sounds,
Soft music.
Or aromas,
Incense,
Or certain scents can be a source of grounding.
And so if you have those in the background,
That's fine too.
These are all options for finding our anchor.
They don't have to be pleasant.
They don't have to be overpowering.
They simply have to be a way.
To shift our attention back.
To bring us into the presence of this moment.
The safe space.
This neutral moment.
So whatever that anchor is for you.
Go there now.
To allow your attention.
Be placed there.
The invitation for practice today.
Is to explore what it's like to shift that focus.
To an area of some physical discomfort that you may be having right now.
That discomfort doesn't have to be.
The most painful.
Experience that you're having.
It could simply be an itch.
Tingling.
Maybe you're just sitting in a little bit of an uncomfortable position.
You might have just noticed you may have to go to the bathroom.
Or just something like that,
Some small discomfort.
And if you don't have any discomfort,
It's okay to stay in your anchored,
Focused attention on the breath or whatever your chosen object of attention is.
If your attention has shifted to something that is bothering you or some discomfort,
I'm gonna practice a couple of different options here.
Some skillful shifting of attention.
We always have choice when we're working with discomfort.
One of those options is to.
Turn towards that discomfort with some curiosity.
It feels right to you.
It feels okay.
Maybe bringing some curiosity.
What is this unpleasantness?
This discomfort,
This pain feel like you're describing it to yourself.
What's the intensity like?
Texture to it.
Can you sense where the discomfort begins?
Where it's radiating out to.
Does it fade?
At some point,
Or there are boundaries to the pain.
The unpleasantness.
Even seeing what it's like to Place your attention at that spot where the pain is.
Is less noticeable.
But always remembering that another option here is to decide if.
.
.
If we need to mindfully reposition,
Move,
If there's some adjustment that we can make.
There's some behavior that may help in dealing with the discomfort.
Was considering.
From a present moment awareness and consciousness,
What can I do here skillfully?
Is there anything that needs to be done?
At any point if this discomfort becomes overwhelming.
We find ourselves.
Feeling lost in the pain.
Always choose to shift our attention away back to one of those anchors.
Whether that was visual.
Something physical,
Our breath.
Our feet.
Something in the room.
Just remembering we always have that anchor to return to.
Take a few moments here.
What it's like to just dip your toe.
Into this practice of just turning towards the pain little by little.
Experiencing what there is to experience right here,
Right now.
Discomfort as it is.
Part of our lived experience.
Choosing.
Mindfully to adjust.
In any way.
If we need to,
If we can.
Allowing ourselves to rest.
Our attention elsewhere.
Recognizing.
This discomfort is only part of our experience,
Is only part of our lived experience in this moment.
So checking in with the rest of the body.
What else is happening right now for us.
Allowing our perspective.
To shift.
Focusing in and then zooming back out.
See what that's like,
That shift in perspective.
Allowing our attention to return to our anchoring point,
If at any point.
Discomfort or the unpleasantness.
Feels too much,
Feels too overwhelming.
The aim here being not to force ourselves.
To focus only on the unpleasant,
Rather welcome all the experiences of this lived moment.
The pain that we may feel is only part of it.
As you observe the discomfort,
Perhaps noticing if there has been any shift,
Any change in the intensity.
In the nature of the discomfort you've been experiencing.
Give the breadth,
The depth.
If the nature of it has shifted,
Increased,
Decreased.
Perhaps recognizing even the changing nature of pain.
As we transition out of this formal practice.
Allow your attention.
To return back to whatever anchor.
You had settled on at the beginning,
Whether that was your breath.
Some other physical sensation or something external in the room,
A sound,
Aroma.
Allow your attention to rest there.
Recognizing in this moment that this practice has allowed you to experience the last few minutes as they fully are for you,
Present,
This lived experience as it is in your body.
The pleasant,
The neutral,
And the unpleasant,
All of it.
And you have the choice.
And where your attention is placed.
And how much attention we give.
The various aspects of our experience.
Take these last few minutes.
To thank yourself for making this time for practice.
To be fully present with yourself.
If you've had your eyes closed.
Allowing them to flutter open,
Allowing light to enter.
Taking in the objects around you.
Allowing the sounds around you to come into your awareness.
Making subtle movements of the body as is comfortable.
And carrying on with the rest of your day.
