Inner And Outer Mindfulness

This is a mindfulness practice that utilizes the 5 senses to notice inner (interoceptive) 5-sense experiences and outer (exteroceptive) 5-sense experiences.

This may be useful for beginners, presence, body awareness, grounding, and shifting focus.

Transcript

Welcome. Today, We will do an inner and outer mindfulness practice. We'll have a chance to explore the five senses. Noticing sensory information and experience inside, That's introceptive awareness. And noticing experience. In relationship with your body in the space where you are, And that could be extra receptive information. Noticing the senses. In outside of your body or your body's in relationship with something around you. So to start. The invitation is to become aware of your experience of seated. And as you do that, As always, You are welcome to make any movements that you'd like to make. Sometimes it's adjustments somewhere along the body, The head, The neck, The shoulders, The arms, The spine. The legs or the feet. You could also bring along any support or grab some support pillow behind you, Beneath you, Around you, Something resting upon you. And whenever you get to a place of settled or neutral. Something like support. Invitation is to start to notice or tune in. To the experience of what is maybe beneath you or behind you. And if your bum or your legs behind your back. Maybe pick one of those points of contact. And we'll start to investigate, Get curious about the quality of the contact and quality is not good or bad, It's just what is it like. And quality could be firmness, Softness. It could be temperature. It could be movability, It's still, Or there's some movement there if you interact with it. There could be. In like chairs and things like that sometimes there's a way that there's like a wrapping around, It's not just firm but it kind of goes around so that might be a quality to notice if that's there. So maybe just another moment here being interested and curious and what you notice about the quality of what is beneath you or behind you. And then the invitation is to notice the area of your body that's making contact with that support that's there beneath you or behind you. And what I mean by area, It's like in math class if you were to line around that part of your body, There's probably parts of your body that are not making contact. And parts of your body that are so sort of inside your mind's eye. There's like, Oh yeah, I could map out, I could sense, I could see. That part. And if possible, The sensation of that contact. You're welcome to move. Sometimes movement helps notice the sensation in that part of your body. Feeling. Where their contact is. Again, It could be temperature or what that sensation is like, Making contact. And then from here, The invitation is to start to notice. Sound experience. It could be sound that is in the room where you are. It may be sound. Outside of your room. It might be their sound coming from my space. And it could be your sound, Like an inner sound. You might get the breath, The heartbeat. Sometimes I hear a little click click. And draw my jaw or something like that. Maybe another moment here curious of what sound. Shows up. As you're listening. And then from here, You can have an invitation to notice the experience of the breath. One way to notice the breath is to watch as the air comes in. Could notice the air as it enters into your nose or your mouth. And get curious about the quality experience in the air. Is there a temperature as you breathe in? Is there a feeling of the air moving? There might be a scent. Sometimes there's a taste. Maybe another moment or so here, Just watching the air come in and noticing what that is like. And then from here, You could notice movement that happens in your body as you breathe. So I like to think of this kind of like a snowflake, Like. Each breath may have its own rhythm and way of movement as the body is breathing. So where you might notice the movement might be different. Throughout each breath. So movement might happen as the breath is happening. You might track movement. In the front of the upper body. The side ribs. The abdominals. Somewhere along the experience of the breath, You might catch tiny movement at the back of the upper body, Sometimes below back, Really tiny there. The back ribs, The shoulders. As you're curious here, You might notice mover somewhere else, Sometimes subtly in the hits or. As the shoulders move, Maybe other parts of the arm. Maybe another round or so here, Just aware of this breath. And just watching for movement that happens as your body's breathing. And then finally, We'll switch and notice. Visuals that you can tune into and pay attention to in the space where you are. So as you're ready, If your eyes are closed, Welcome to open your eyes in a time that works for you. And let your eyes maybe look around the space where you are. And they might even look outside your space. For example, My room does have windows in it. Out through the windows and what's outside. And as you're looking around, You might find something to pay attention to. It might be colors or. Shape or texture. You might notice light or shadow. Anything your eyes might come upon and might be might be interested in and curious about. The quality and the experience visually that's there. Might be designed. Or shiny or dull. Welcome to stay with something or let your eyes from time to time just shift and move around when they're ready. Taking in anything that might be neutral, Interesting, Or nice, Or curious. Maybe another round or so here. Whether it's looking at something, Being interested in a quality that you see. Just letting your eyes take their time and look around the space where you are or outside of where you are. And then whenever you're ready. Maybe bringing your awareness back to the experience of seated. And welcome to take a moment, Just a little check-in. He might be interested in the quality of this moment. The sensation of seated, The contact with ground, Whatever is beneath you, What that feels like. Give you the awareness of being in your body. It might be what your energy is like. What your muscles feel like. Or what your focus is like in this moment. And whenever you feel ready. Welcome to close up the practice. And take your time. To transition. Moving on to wherever you need to go next. Continuing with whatever you were doing before. Or shifting and choosing where you'd like to bring your focus next. Thank you for joining me today. And wishing you well.