This is Ted Meissner,
And welcome to this introductory meditation practice.
It will be lightly guided,
Which means there will be times of silence for you to lean into your experience.
I call this practice Home Base.
It's designed to help you not just connect with the present moment,
But really inhabit it more fully.
We'll talk more about what Home Base is during the guidance.
Begin by taking your meditation seat,
And that's meant in a few different ways.
Physically,
Gently checking in with the body's position as it is,
Whether seated,
Standing,
Or lying down.
If you're in a chair,
Maybe scooching forward to the edge of your seat if it's comfortable for you to use the backrest a little bit less.
Hold yourself upright can support attentive wakefulness,
But your well-being is the most important.
Take care of yourself and make adjustments that are needed for your body.
Place the feet on the floor,
Or become aware of their contact with the ground if you're on a cushion.
Invite the spine to rise up from the hips,
And allow the hands to settle into stillness on legs or lap.
You don't have to hold the hands in any particular way,
But you can if you find it helpful.
If it's comfortable for you,
Allowing the eyes to close,
Or if it's more supportive to you to have the eyes open,
Just a soft gaze without having to identify or analyze what's in your field of vision.
That's taking your meditation seat with the body.
Take it with your heart and mind as well.
With your heart,
Allowing yourself to receive this practice with kindness and care,
Whatever it is that arises.
With your mind,
Understanding that mind-wandering happens as an expected part of the practice.
Home base is an experience that's happening now,
That you can get in touch with,
You can feel,
That's comfortable for you.
Home base anchors you in the present,
And when the mind wanders,
Welcomes attention back to experiencing.
Your five senses are always active,
And have many layers that might be good home bases.
In your sense of touch,
It may be feeling sensations of taking in air and releasing it with each breath.
Let's try that now.
Take a slow,
Slow,
Deep breath all the way in.
Where do you feel it in your body?
And all the way out,
Fully exhale.
And feeling that too.
Once more,
All the way in,
Nice and slow.
And release,
All the way out.
And now,
Let go of the breath,
Allowing it to settle into its own natural rhythm.
We're not stopping or controlling it,
Just experiencing the sensations as breathing happens.
Inviting a little playful curiosity.
Where on the body is the breath making itself known?
Belly,
Chest,
The back,
Maybe coolness and warmth up by your nose,
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
And noticing any places there might be tension in the body as well.
If you choose to,
Releasing that with the next out breath.
If you find breathing is not a comfortable experience,
You're not alone.
It's not the best home base for everyone,
And it's perfectly fine to choose something else.
You can direct the spotlight of your attention to the bottoms of your feet or the tips of your fingers,
Not having to feel anything,
But just focusing on those places of the body.
Feeling sensation or no sensation.
Or listening to sounds.
And sometimes a rich silence can be an inviting home base to experience in this moment.
So take your time.
There's no rush.
And explore what might be a supportive home base for you today.
Maybe different than any other day.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
And receiving sounds or silence.
Attuning to experiencing.
Brightening this moment with your attentive presence,
Whatever your home base is.
So take the next few moments for silence,
Opening up just a little bit more to your home base experience.
Perhaps noticing the very beginning of each in breath.
Not worrying about the rest,
But just noticing the beginning of each in breath.
The beginning of each new sound or moment of silence.
And refreshing that playful curiosity.
What's it like to inhabit this moment with home base supporting you?
And when you notice attention has wandered,
No matter how far it's gone,
Coming back is just getting in touch with home base again.
So take your time.
There's no need to give yourself a hard time if the mind wanders.
Just come back.
Invite yourself to arrive in this moment again.
When you're ready and it's comfortable for you to do so,
Opening the eyes if you've had them closed,
Maybe inviting some movement to the body.
Whatever might feel good after being still.
And seeing if you can check in with your home base informally,
Even now.
That experience is still here,
Is always here as a companion throughout your day.
Thanks so much for your practice,
Your mindful attention,
And for taking this time for some self-care.
