So if you're comfortable we're going to begin.
So again I'm going to invite you to just close your eyes again as we settle into this meditation.
Finding a posture that is comfortable.
You may want to move in your chair or your your cushion and just get comfortable.
You may imagine a tread just pulling your head up ever so slightly.
You can feel your spine just straightening.
As we just bring our awareness to our breath.
Not trying to change it,
Just becoming aware.
And as we do so we we set an intention for this meditation.
The intention is to bring awareness into our thoughts.
As we do so we also look at our motivation.
Why are we practicing today?
What can we gain from mindfulness?
That motivation might be different for every one of us but just inviting you to just touch in with your motivation to practice.
We just listen to our breath.
Just sense it entering our body.
Feeling the rise and fall.
As humans our minds often go into touch so let's give our mind something to do.
Let's introduce a count.
As we breathe in I'm going to invite you just to count to three or four.
As we breathe out,
Breathe out for a tree or four.
So in two three four.
Out two three four.
In two three four.
And out two three four.
In two three four.
And out two three four.
Just repeating that in your mind silently.
Giving that mind something to do.
In two three four.
Out two three four.
Just feeling an ease in our breath as we stretch it out to four.
In two three four.
And out two three four.
That's our in breath and our out breath just harmonizes together.
If you're finding our counting difficult we can use a phrase.
On the in breath I know I am breathing in.
On the out breath I know I'm breathing out.
Just repeating this counting or this phrase in your mind.
I know I'm breathing in.
I know I'm breathing out.
As we sense our mind just solely settling.
I'm going to invite you just to just let go of that counting or that phrase now.
Just let our breath return back to its natural state.
Just concentrate now on that out breath.
That sense of release and ease as we breathe out.
Inviting our our mind to gently rest in our body as our body rests in our chair.
Just that ease of our body releasing on every out breath.
Just becoming aware of the senses in our body.
The sensations.
You may be feeling warm or you may be feeling cold or you may have no sense at all.
No sensations.
Just bringing our awareness down into our body as we rest here.
Down into our feet.
Into our toes.
The soul of our feet.
Our ankles.
Our lower leg.
Our calves.
The sense of our knees.
The curve of our knee.
Any sensations that we feel in our body.
Up into our thighs.
Our hips.
Our back.
Our lower back.
Our shoulders.
Just an awareness of each part of our body.
Into our abdominal.
Our chest.
We just gently scan through our body.
Always being present.
Bringing our awareness back each time to our breath.
Not judging.
Accepting.
Up into our shoulders and down into our arms.
The elbows.
Our wrists.
And our hands.
Just a sense of our whole body.
Up into our neck.
Our jaw.
In the next out breath we might just feel that jaw just just releasing and softening ever so slightly.
Up into our cheekbones.
To our eyes.
Just get a sense of softness just the back of our eyes.
A relaxation.
Into the forehead.
The crown.
Just settle into ourself.
Resting in this moment.
Nothing to do and nowhere to go.
Just this moment.
I'm going to invite you just as you settle here resting in this moment.
Just bring your awareness to the sounds in the room.
Sounds that you may not have noticed when we started.
Maybe just the sound of silence.
The sound of peace.
Just letting those sounds just gently arrest in our ears.
Not going into story mode or thinking mode.
Just a gentle awareness of our environment.
Of the sounds around us.
We see if we can just stretch that awareness ever so further.
Outside the room.
What's the furthest sound we can hear?
Just let it gently fall on your ears.
If your mind is going into thinking mode or story mode about a sound just bring it back to yourself,
To your body.
Just letting that sound just gently arrive and move on.
Arrive and move on.
Just pausing in this moment.
Pausing in awareness.
Wherever our story mode is going.
Acknowledging it and bringing it back.
Never judging,
Just accepting.
Just easing into this moment.
Bringing our awareness back to the sounds just around us.
Sounds of our room.
Again even the sound of silence.
What does that silence sound like?
As we pause here fully present,
Fully aware.
As we rest here I'm going to read our poem again.
And see if in this resting mode can we notice any more about it.
This being human is a guesthouse.
Every morning a new arrival,
A joy,
A depression,
A meanness.
Some monetary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all.
If they are a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house,
Emptying it of furniture,
Still treat it,
Treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought,
The shame,
The malice.
Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
The guesthouse by Rumi.
Before our main practice comes to an end and while we're in this beautiful resting mode I'm going to ask you a question.
What do I need right now?
What do we need right now?
Not going into thinking mode or story mode but just touching in with an awareness of what do we truly need?
What would help us live with ease?
As our meditation is about to come to an end we might dedicate our practice and the benefits of mindfulness firstly to the people in this room,
To the energy that we feel we are sharing this experience with.
Dedicated to each person that has taken the time tonight or the morning wherever you are to be part of this community.
I thank you.
We thank you.
I'm expanding that gratefulness to those people around us,
Those people that also benefit from our practice as we go through our daily life.
I'm going to invite everybody just back into the room you might want to rub your hands or just stretch out and just whatever you need just to bring your awareness back into this room.
