This is mindful reflection number five.
I'm Stevens Katini.
Be comfortable whether you're sitting,
Walking,
Driving,
Standing.
Just feel your body sort of shake it loose and take a breath.
And this brings your attention into the body,
Into your chest cavity.
And it brings your attention to the movement,
The effort that your body puts into breathing.
And you watch yourself breathe.
The brain is very closely connected to everything inside your body.
There's always in conversation with it.
Whether you're conscious of that,
It's a matter of will.
Do you intend to be conscious of it?
Then you can be.
So the question of mindfulness is not only about attention,
It's also about intention.
In order for a moment to be mindful,
You must intend it.
Mindfulness is always deliberate.
It's never automatic.
However,
It can be triggered.
And that's why we use apps with a bell or a chime to remind us in the day to take a breath.
So first of all,
You intend to be mindful and then you bring your attention to the breath.
Effort is always required.
It's a small effort.
It's an effort that's rewarded.
It's an effort that can be triggered.
So attention on the breath,
On the movement of your body.
The stillness in between,
In and out.
And then the out breath,
Your body expelling waste.
Emptying itself so that it can be filled again.
So that life can go on.
And this in breath and out breath,
What keeps you alive from one moment to the next.
It's sort of important.
It's so important that we don't need to pay conscious attention to it in order for it to work.
But when we do,
Then the breath becomes more than just a lifeline.
It becomes a guide to you and your life and your experience.
What you make of it all.
What it can become.
What direction you take.
What bases you work from.
It's all in there.
It's all mixed up.
It's always changing.
But it's all in there.
So when you intend to be attentive,
You can see right into this whole puzzle that is you.
And if you want to put the pieces of the puzzle together,
You have to look,
See what's in there.
Give it time to settle into your consciousness so you understand what you're seeing.
You just watch.
Staying with the breath.
And now,
In this moment,
How do you feel?
What do you feel?
When you know what you're feeling.
You connect to who you are.
You understand yourself directly in a way that's not conceptual.
It's not theoretical.
So intention guides attention.
And you can recognize that when you're paying attention that the intention is there too.
So try and keep a part of your mind in reserve.
Paying attention to your intention and you'll create a feedback loop.
Your moments of mindfulness during the day and during this 10 minute meditation.
So stay with the breath.
Breathe.
Feel your body.
Feel your mind.
Feel your intention.
And now taking three more breaths and open your eyes.
That's all for now.
Mindful Reflections are thoughts for a mindful mood.
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