Let's begin by taking a moment to allow your body to settle into a comfortable position.
You may close your eyes or keep them slightly open,
Allowing the spine to lift,
The shoulders to soften.
Today we will practice open awareness.
As we've explored,
The open awareness practice can give us the gift of being aware.
Aware of things like our thoughts and emotions,
What's happening in our relationships,
But without getting stuck or hung up on them as we may usually do.
Open awareness practice helps us to have a gentle matter-of-factness,
Saying to ourselves,
This is here,
Got it,
How might I meet this?
So we'll begin by taking a full breath in and a long breath out.
Noticing the in-breath,
Noticing the out-breath.
Allow the breath to settle now and to find its own natural rhythm,
Letting the breath breathe itself.
Try not to interfere with the process and notice how the body moves in response to the breath.
The chest expands and relaxes.
The belly rises and falls.
Now gently expand your awareness to whatever is arising.
You may notice thoughts,
Sensations,
Sounds,
All coming and going,
All arising and passing away.
Try letting go of any ideas about how you think this moment ought to be and just rest with an awareness of how things actually are for you in each moment.
Notice if you are aware of any changes in the body or the mind tensing up around your experience.
And in this noticing,
You can gently let go again without judgment,
Doing this as often as necessary with a kind and gentle awareness.
Now if it feels safe for you to do so,
Include any pain or discomfort in the body within your awareness.
Can we resist feelings of pain or discomfort?
Use the breath to help soften the discomfort.
And as you do,
See if you notice any changes in the experience of that discomfort.
Now invite in pleasurable dimensions into your awareness.
They might be subtle,
Such as contact of clothing on the skin,
The felt sensation of the breath,
Or maybe there's a cool breeze on your skin,
There's a warmth in your seat or perhaps in your hands.
With each breath,
Return to a simple,
Clear awareness of what's here right now.
Now as we near the end of this practice,
Bringing your attention back again to focus on the breath,
Letting awareness of other things fade into the background.
Finishing with a full deep breath in and a long breath out.
