Welcome to my 10-minute mindfulness meditation.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable posture,
Whether sitting on a cushion,
A chair,
Or kneeling on a stool.
Whatever allows you to feel both stable and at ease.
Letting your spine be upright,
But not rigid,
As if the head were being gently lifted by an invisible thread.
Let the rest of your body settle naturally,
Allowing the muscles to soften.
If it feels right for you,
Gently closing your eyes or lowering your gaze.
Taking a moment to sense the support beneath you,
The steadiness of the ground holding you effortlessly.
Now bringing your awareness to the body,
Scanning from head to toe,
Simply noticing any areas of tightness or tension.
There's nothing to change,
Nothing to force,
Just becoming aware.
And if you do notice holding anywhere,
Seeing if you can allow it to soften,
Even just a little.
Turning now toward the breath,
Taking a few deep intentional breaths,
Feeling the inhale as it expands the body,
And the exhale as it releases any unnecessary tension.
Allowing the breath to settle into its own natural rhythm,
Nothing to control,
Just receiving each breath as it comes,
Moment by moment.
Breathing in,
Aware of this breath,
And breathing out,
Releasing,
Letting go.
Letting the breath flow naturally,
Not trying to change it in any way.
Bring your attention to the sensation of the breath in the body,
Whether it be at the belly rising and falling,
The chest rising and falling,
Or the sensations of the breath passing through the nostrils.
Just focusing your attention on the breath,
And what every area of the body feels most natural.
The breath is always in the present moment,
So it acts as a perfect anchor for your attention,
Anchoring you in the present moment.
As you sit here breathing,
You might notice thoughts arising,
Perhaps thoughts of the past,
Replaying moments,
Rehearsing conversations,
Wishing things had gone differently.
The mind does this naturally,
All on its own,
Pulling us into stories about things we cannot change.
But right here,
In this moment,
You have a choice.
Rather than following the thoughts,
Simply recognizing them for what they are,
Just thoughts.
There's no need to push them away or hold on to them.
Each time you notice the mind wandering off into thoughts of the past or the future,
Gently and kindly guiding your attention back to the breath,
Back to the present moment,
Back to the sensations of just sitting.
The past has already happened.
The future is yet to come.
But right now,
You are here.
And this moment,
This breath,
Is the only moment that truly matters.
And thoughts will come up without your consent or any doing on your part.
The mind will wander.
That's just what minds do.
It's not a problem or something you need to struggle with.
The practice is simply to notice when the mind wanders,
Takes you out of the present moment,
And gently and compassionately directing your focus of attention back to the breath and back to the present moment.
Simply resting in this awareness,
Letting yourself be exactly as you are.
As we prepare to close this practice,
Taking a few deeper breaths,
Noticing how you feel,
Seeing if you can carry this sense of presence with you into the rest of your day,
The possibility of meeting each moment fresh,
Just as it is.
And when you're ready,
Gently bringing your awareness back to the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Opening your eyes if they were closed.
May you move through the day with awareness,
Presence,
And a sense of possibility.
