Creating Mental Space

Does your mind feel busy and crowded by thoughts? With this simple and effective mindfulness exercise, we can effortlessly create a sense of unlimited mental space and release all mental tension, stress and anxiety.

Transcript

So I think if we begin just by becoming more aware of the breath, It's a good way to bring the attention into the body and into the present moment by really feeling the breath as it enters and leaves the body. So as we are on the theme of space for this mindfulness meditation, Maybe we could get a sense of the space that the breath feels as it enters the body. So whether you're breathing perhaps more with the diaphragm or more with the ribs, Just feeling which part of the body, Which part of the lungs, What space the air is moving into. Really allow the breath in nice and fully and freely, Not restricting the breath in any way, Allowing that space in the lungs to be filled by the breath. And as you breathe out, Feel the sensation, The experience of releasing and letting go of the breath. And don't hold on to the breath at all, Really letting it go and release. And maybe getting a sense of the space around you into which you're releasing the breath. So drawing the breath in from that space, Filling the body with the breath, Then releasing the breath back into the space around you. Let's become aware of the body now, So not just the breath in the body. Get a sense of the whole body, How the body feels, The sensations throughout the body, The energy of the body. Maybe feeling the weight of the body and how that weight is being supported. And see if you can get a sense of the presence of your body, The physical presence, The living presence of your body. Getting in touch with that basic aliveness in the body that makes this body inanimate rather than an inanimate object. Thinking again of space, Become aware of the location of your body in the space that you're in. A sense of the presence and the position of your body relative to the space around you. So for me, I can get a sense of the walls, Floor and ceiling, And the location of my body in the room and the space around the body. Feeling the wall closer on the left and further away on the right. Seeing the space below the chair to the floor and the more space above my head up to the ceiling. Feeling the living presence of your body and the space around the body. Just relaxing into being present with the breath, With the body, With your immediate environment, The space around you. Fully arriving where you are. So let's now become more aware of all the sounds that we can hear around us. Turning your attention to sounds and noticing what you can hear where you are right now. This is a really good opportunity to allow your awareness to widen, Broaden, Really open up as you listen out for any and all sounds, However loud or quiet, However near or far. Whether they're continuous or very occasional. Adopting a gentle alertness, Actively listening with a nice relaxed and open awareness. And see if you can keep your awareness nice and open so if there are any distant sounds or any quiet sounds that you'll catch them and you'll hear them as and when they arrive. Being quite sensitive and alert, Listening carefully for what the furthest sounds are that you can hear or that may appear and the quietest sounds. If you're lucky enough to be able to hear a distant sound, Maybe a car, Some distant voices, A bird, Even a plane, Just getting a real feeling for that space, That distance, How far your awareness is stretched to be able to effortlessly and easily pick up on that distant sound. And even if there aren't any distant sounds, Just being aware of the sky above you, The horizon around you, How easy it is for the awareness to just get a sense of this vast open space that's always around us. You don't need to visualize, You don't need to hear distant sounds, Although they can help just acknowledging that simple awareness of the unlimited space that's above you and around you right now. And allow yourself and your body to relax into that space, Just being at the center of this open space, Listening, Being open. You may begin to get a sense that you can almost hear silence, Be aware of a quietness in the space around you, Between and behind all the sounds, The space of silence that's always there, Within which the sounds come and go. So finally we turn to our thoughts and become more aware of our thoughts. The invitation is to not think that your thoughts just happen inside your head, But your thoughts are not physical, They have no size, There's no physical boundary to stop a thought. So as you are aware of your thoughts, Just experiencing them as occurring within this vast open awareness that's as broad as the horizon and as high as the sky. Thoughts just passing easily through this open awareness that contains distant quiet sounds and awareness of the stars and your thoughts also passing through this vast open silent awareness. I'll leave a few minutes before we finish without commentary and just see if you can enjoy just relaxing into the present moment and allowing your awareness to be nice and open, Broad and wide, Allowing sounds and thoughts just to effortlessly flow through your open awareness. So, We come back. . . . . . . . . . . .