Welcome.
Today in this meditation.
We're going to focus on sensations and observation of our thoughts and emotions on the mind screen without too much emphasis on the breath.
For some people.
Using the breath as the main focus of our meditation.
Can give a deeper sense of anxiety and panic.
And so,
Therefore,
It doesn't always work.
When we're trying to relax and settle the mind.
So we're going to use the breath today as a light anchor,
Like a home base.
But we're going to focus more on alternating the focus of our attention.
Between sensations.
Thoughts and experiences in our immediate environment.
So let's begin by settling into a comfortable seated position if sitting is available to you.
Otherwise,
You can just lie down.
But I want you to stay alert,
Awake,
Yet relaxed.
If you're sitting.
Start to drop the shoulders away from your ears,
Letting your arms rest softly by your sides.
Bringing your awareness to your seat.
And letting the muscles.
Soften,
Relaxing deeper into your support.
Closing your eyes if that feels comfortable and lowering your internal gaze.
Otherwise,
You can just soften and lower your gaze.
To help you pay a little more attention to what's going on internally.
Good,
So just becoming aware of the breath as it is in this moment.
Without making it.
Anything in particular.
I'm trying to modify it.
Just a light awareness of breathing.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
And becoming aware of the belly rising on your inhales.
And contracting back towards your spine on your exhales.
We're going to take two deep,
Settling breaths together.
Deep inhale through the nose.
Nice,
Deep belly breath through the nose.
And as we exhale,
We're going to exhale through the mouth,
Sighing it out.
Good.
Let's do one more just like that.
Deep inhale.
A longer exhale through the mouth.
I want you to start to bring your awareness closer to my voice,
The sound of my voice.
It's like you're leaning in closer to my voice and it's coming to the forefront of your awareness.
And everything else is fading into the background.
Leaning into my voice.
Letting everything else just fall back.
Now shifting your awareness,
I want you to find another sound in the room.
Just pick one,
No matter how faint.
Just choose one.
Inside the room that you're sitting in.
And as you choose that sound,
I want you to let my voice fade into the background as you bring that new sound closer.
To your forefront of focus.
Good,
I'll be silent for a minute while you.
.
.
Bring this other sound closer.
And don't worry if you can't hear much,
You're just alert to the possibility of there being another sound.
Without having to react to it or do anything about it.
Just bringing it closer.
And now I want you to see if you can hear something outside of the room.
Perhaps outside of the building.
Farther away.
Notice if anything is there to hear.
Leaning the focus of your awareness towards those sounds that you might be hearing outside of your room.
Good.
And now we're going to bring our awareness to the surface of our body,
To our skin.
And any sensations that we feel on the surface of our skin.
You might become aware of the clothes against your body.
Or the air against your skin.
Noticing what sensations arise on the surface of your skin.
What can you detect?
Just noticing.
The curious mind.
An open mind.
We're simply observers.
Were not interacting.
Just noticing.
God.
And now shifting your awareness to your seat.
And when your body is making contact with the cushion or the chair or your support,
And noticing any tension or holding.
Perhaps your muscles are engaged and they don't need to be.
See if you can soften.
Good.
Becoming aware of that support beneath you.
Realizing that no effort is needed.
Are you set in this position?
Allowing yourself to release any tension or holding as you sink a little deeper into your support.
And now bringing our awareness to the belly.
We're practicing interoception here.
We're always so focused on the external world that we often have no idea what's going on inside.
And sometimes that can be a little daunting.
But we're taking it one gentle.
Step at a time.
Bringing your awareness to your belly.
And just becoming aware of the sensations here.
Not engaging with them in any way.
Just noticing with curiosity.
What's present.
I want you to look for temperature.
Energy levels.
Tension or sense of relaxation in the muscles.
Whatever's present.
And bringing this to the foreground of your awareness.
And I'll be silent for a moment.
Good.
No judgment.
No judgement.
Just becoming aware of what is.
Right here.
Right now.
Beginning to move your awareness up to the heart space,
Your chest.
And doing the same thing here,
Just noticing with compassion.
Curious,
Open mind.
What's present.
Looking for temperature.
Tension holding.
Hard edges.
Any quality or sensation that arises,
It's all good.
Just noticing what's here.
Right?
Now bringing your awareness up to the facial muscles.
We're just going to do a quick scan through the facial muscles.
The mask that we wear on a day-to-day level.
And we're just going to remind ourselves.
To let a little bit of it go.
Bringing our awareness to the forehead.
And allowing your exhales to help melt the muscles of the forehead,
Softening them wide like they're melting.
And as you do this,
Noticing your eyebrows relaxing.
And coordinating with each exhale,
Letting your eyes rest back in their sockets,
Nothing to see.
Nothing to be vigilant about.
Nothing to do or look at.
Letting them rest back in their sockets,
Melting the forehead.
Relaxing the eyebrows.
And you may notice your cheeks begin to soften as you relax your eyes.
And shifting your awareness lower towards the mouth.
Letting your lips part gently and your teeth.
Letting your jaw relax,
Softly open.
And allowing your tongue to rest gently.
Against the back of your lower teeth.
Let's go And just giving yourself permission to relax deeply in this moment with what is.
Resting in pure awareness.
Pure beingness.
Noticing,
Sensing.
Allow it.
And if you feel inclined to use the breath as an anchor for your focus,
Go right ahead.
But if this causes you distress,
Just continue to sit in this nice space of open monitoring,
Allowing everything to be present.
Just as it is.
In this moment.
Without having to change it.
Or do anything about it.
Now beginning to shift your body more awake and slowly opening your eyes up to the external room.
And bringing one hand to your heart or one hand to your belly,
Making a nice firm contact.
Letting the body know that it's supported and held.
And closing with a moment of appreciation or gratitude for what inspires you in this moment.
Allowing your body,
Every cell in your body,
To feel it,
To hear it.
Carrying it in on your breath and letting it ripple through you.
Beautiful.
Thank you for joining me today.
