Hi everyone,
I'm Taz and I'm going to guide you through one of my favorite mindfulness meditations.
If you're new to meditation,
Or even if you're not,
I ask that you try and be gentle with yourself.
I often hear people say,
I've tried meditation but I can't do it or I failed.
But what I love about meditation is that there's no success or failure,
Only trying your best to stay present without judgment.
This meditation will help you train your mind to notice thoughts without becoming attached to them.
With practice,
It'll help you be able to observe your life without having to react impulsively.
Let's start by getting into a comfortable position.
I prefer seated,
Either on a chair or sitting cross-legged,
But any position is fine as long as you can be alert while comfortable.
Place your hands on your knees or on your lap,
Close your eyes,
Take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the nose.
Again,
In through the nose,
Out through the nose.
Start to notice the breath.
Notice the sound the breath makes as it moves in and out of the nose.
Some say it sounds like the wind or the ocean.
Notice the way the shoulders rise on the inhale and fall on the exhale.
Notice the way the chest expands on the inhale and contracts on the exhale.
Notice that the breath is deep or shallow.
Continue to breathe in and out,
Paying attention to the breath.
Now I want you to imagine a beautiful stream.
Imagine sitting on the edge of the stream,
Watching it flow.
Now imagine a leaf falling into the stream and floating down,
Following its currents.
You don't pick up the leaf.
You don't judge the leaf.
You just notice it and watch it float away.
This is how it can be with our thoughts.
Our minds are the stream and each thought is a leaf.
We don't need to attach ourselves to any particular thought.
We don't need to judge our thoughts.
We can just observe them and then let them go.
Take a few moments to observe your thoughts,
Practicing this idea of observing them as you would a leaf in a stream and letting them float away.
If you find your mind wandering,
This is normal and part of the process.
Noticing our mind wandering is being mindful.
Just congratulate yourself for noticing.
Take a breath in through the nose and on the exhale try and let go of the thought you were attached to.
Then go back to the stream.
If you notice any judgments about yourself,
How you feel,
This meditation or anything else,
It's okay and that is also being mindful.
Again,
Congratulate yourself for noticing.
Take a breath in and on the exhale let go of this judgment and go back to the stream.
And now let's come back to the breath.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the nose.
Again,
In through the nose and out through the nose.
Start to wiggle the fingers,
Wiggle the toes,
Nod your head yes,
Roll the shoulders a couple of times and gently open your eyes.
I hope you enjoyed this meditation.
If you want,
You can try to practice this stream technique for the rest of the day.
Observe your thoughts,
Try not to judge them or attach to them and then let them go.
I hope to meditate again with you soon.
