During this mindfulness training,
We'll develop the skill of observing thinking during meditation.
Start out by taking a meditation posture.
Seeing rise over lightly.
Start to be aware of what it feels like just to be here.
Opening up to any sounds around you.
And allowing the change within the sound to hold your attention.
Now slowly bringing your awareness into your body.
Becoming aware of what it feels like just to sit here.
Aware of any warmth or coolness within your body,
Holding them gently in mind.
Also becoming aware of the change within the sound.
Also becoming aware of the touch of your hands.
When the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor,
Grounded.
Now we are going to create the conditions in which thinking can arise so we can observe it during meditation.
Gently hold one hand within the other.
Become aware of that experience of touch of the hands.
You may experience this touch as a warmth,
As coolness or pressure.
Just keeping that experience of touch gently in mind.
Bringing your awareness to ground within the touch of those hands.
Now take a few softening breaths and soften,
Relax your mental grip.
Allow yourself to mentally relax.
Relax your mental grip on those hands.
And see if you can observe the moment that thinking begins.
Now we are going to create the conditions in which thinking can arise so we can observe it during meditation.
Is there any thinking present?
If there is,
Just acknowledge it,
Relax and bring your awareness back to the touch of your hands.
Aware of the warmth,
The coolness,
The pressure.
Relax and allow your mind to wander.
See if you can notice the moment that thinking begins.
And see if you can observe the moment that thinking begins.
Is there any thinking present within your mind?
If there is,
Just acknowledge it and come back again to the touch of your hands.
Now for your next mindfulness training,
I'd like you to observe how you experience thinking.
How do you experience thinking?
Do you see your thoughts?
Do you hear your thoughts?
Or do you feel your thoughts?
See if you can observe how you experience thinking.
Relax your mental grip on the touch of your hands and allow your mind to wander.
See if you can observe the moment that thinking begins.
And see if you can observe the moment that thinking begins.
Now,
Bring your awareness back to the touch of your hands.
The experience of warmth,
Of coolness,
Of pressure.
Just gently keeping the touch of your hands in mind continuously to allow some mindfulness and concentration to grow.
And see if you can observe your thoughts.
Now,
Soften your mental grip on the touch of your hands.
Hold your And see if you can notice the moment that thinking arises.
Is there thinking present?
How do you experience thinking?
Do you see your thoughts?
Do you hear your thoughts?
Or do you feel your thoughts?
Now bringing your awareness back to the touch of your hands.
The warmth,
The coolness,
The pressure.
Rounding your awareness with feeling that feeling of touch.
This time I'd like you to answer a different question.
Where do you experience thinking?
And don't assume that it's within your head.
Be open to what you're experiencing.
Grounding your awareness within the touch of your hands.
And soften that mental grip,
Allowing your mind to wander.
See if you can observe the moment that thinking arises.
See if you can observe where you experience thinking.
Just be open to whatever is present to you.
Be open and trust the actual experience.
See if you can observe the moment that thinking arises.
Now bringing your awareness back to the feeling of touch.
The warmth,
The coolness,
The pressure.
And grounding your awareness within that touch.
Now I'd like you to answer another question.
How do you know that you're thinking?
Where are the touch of your hands?
Soften,
Relax,
Allow your mind to wander.
See if you can notice the moment that thinking arises.
How do you know that you're thinking?
How do you know that you're thinking?
Now bring your awareness to the experience of your body just sitting here.
And start to become aware of any sounds around you,
Allowing those sounds to come into you.
And when you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes.
Be aware of seeing.
Be aware of just being in the room.
Now if your eyes open,
Being aware of just being here.
I'd like you to one more time to observe thinking.
Just being very aware of just sitting here.
Being very present with your seeing.
Being very aware of the touch of your hands.
Now holding that touch of hands and that seeing in mind,
See if you can observe any thoughts that arise.
Relax your mental grip on the seeing.
Relax the mental grip on the touch.
Allow your mind to wonder and see if you can observe thinking.
How do you experience thinking?
Where do you experience thinking?
How do you know that you're thinking?
How do you know that you're thinking?
How do you know that you're thinking?
And just re-bringing your awareness back into your body.
Take a couple of softening breaths present.
And bring this mindfulness of thinking into your day.
Thank you for spending this time meditating with me.
Take care of yourself and have a wonderful day.
And goodbye.
