So as we begin,
Just start by noticing the body,
Noticing your seated position and any parts of your body that may be touching,
Perhaps a chair or a cushion or a pillow,
And bring the attention there,
Just noticing the support of your seated position.
Perhaps your feet are on the floor,
Hands are in a comfortable position,
Maybe on the thighs.
And then bringing your attention to your face,
Allowing your face to relax,
Be soft around the eyes,
Around the jaw,
The tongue and the mouth,
Soft.
Let the shoulders and the neck be relaxed.
Release any tension from any other areas of your body,
Your belly,
Your hips.
From this secure and stable base,
The spine can become longer,
A gentle,
Flexible lengthening.
Now we'll bring our attention to our breath,
Just noticing that your breath is coming and going.
And then beginning to notice the place where you most obviously feel your breath right now.
Perhaps it's at the tip of the nose,
A coolness or a movement in the nostrils or the throat,
A movement through the chest and ribs or into the belly.
Wherever you notice the breath most obviously right now,
Just bring your attention there.
And we'll use this as the anchor spot,
The anchor for our attention,
The sensation of the breath,
Following the sensation with our minds,
With our focus of a full inhale and a full exhale.
And if it's helpful,
Perhaps using a mental label in your mind,
Silently to yourself,
Something like breathing in,
I'm breathing in,
I'm breathing out,
I'm breathing out.
And help the mind focus the attention on each breath.
Okay.
And if you notice that your mind has wandered,
Perhaps to a thought or a sensation or a sound or any type of distraction.
Looking at this as a gift,
A reminder that we can bring our attention back,
Bring it back gently and with great friendliness to our breath,
To our anchor.
Knowing that it is in the returning of the attention,
That the meditation,
That the mindfulness is happening.
And that it is in the returning of the attention,
That the mindfulness is happening.
Each breath an opportunity to begin again.
Each thought or sensation entering the mind,
An opportunity to lightly touch it with a feather.
And just let it go by and gently returning the attention to the breath.
And let it go by and gently returning the attention to the breath.
Recognizing that a sound is just a sound until we attach a thought to it.
And a thought is just a thought until we attach a story to it.
All these things are welcome.
All these things can be let go.
The breath is a gateway to the present moment for us.
All we have to do is return our focus and our attention to one more breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
And let it go by and gently returning the attention to the breath.
And let it go by and gently returning the attention to the breath.
And now we'll begin to release our meditation for today.
Returning the attention to your surroundings and taking a moment to reflect upon the effects of your practice.
