Welcome.
This is a guided meditation on establishing and coming back to an anchor.
I need a word about anchors and adaptations before I begin.
Breath is not always the best option to choose as an anchor.
There is a variety of reasons why this might be.
If you have a typical brain structure or a history of trauma,
Those are a few reasons why breath may not work for you.
The important thing is to choose something that is constant and is one single item so that we can develop concentration on the anchor.
If we choose to use breath,
Instead of focusing just on breathing,
We could also choose to focus on attention at the nose and the sensations of the breath coming in and out of the nose.
Or sensations at the belly or the chest where we can notice the rising and falling.
Some alternate options for you to use for an anchor would be seeing,
Which might look like attention on one object or one small part of an object.
You could try hearing,
Which could look like paying attention on a constant sound.
For example,
The furnace,
Your computer humming,
A clock ticking.
Touching would be another anchor that we could possibly look at.
So you could choose one part of your body for this maybe and just notice the sensation of your body,
For example,
Resting against your seat.
These are good choices for anchors because when we focus on our senses or our breath,
It can be observed directly without the need for thought.
And so it allows for present moment processes to be observed and then returned to.
So go ahead and take a moment to choose your anchor.
Before we start the practice,
I invite you to just scan the place that you are in just for signs of safety.
So taking a look around the room and noticing what's in there,
Noticing what's familiar,
And noticing the absence of danger.
And as you're choosing a posture,
You can choose whatever feels right for you.
A posture that feels relaxed and also alert.
So you could choose to sit or lie down or even stand.
So take a moment now and settle into whatever posture feels right for you.
Take a moment to direct your attention to your anchor now.
And when we're placing our awareness on our anchor,
We can imagine our awareness is like a flashlight.
So it has the ability to illuminate whatever we point to that so that we can see it.
Take a little bit of time right now and just see if you can get curious about the experience of your anchor.
Just be curious and examine all the details.
And if you notice your mind wandering,
Just gently,
Without any judgment,
Just return it to your anchor.
What would it take to sharpen your awareness on your anchor?
See if you can do that now.
See if you can notice a beginning,
Middle,
And end.
Okay.
How does the anchor change as you pay attention?
See if you can notice the difference between the experience of your anchor and thinking about your anchor.
Okay.
And if you notice that there are any thoughts or emotions that are coming up,
Take note of those,
Label them thinking,
Planning,
Frustration,
And then see if you can refocus your attention on your anchor without judging.
And of course,
If you notice any judgment,
That's okay too.
Just notice what's happening right now.
So I invite you to see if you can expand your awareness while also focusing on your anchor.
So one way to do that might be to ask,
How is your anchor experienced in the rest of your body?
What does it feel like to hold your attention on your anchor and your whole body at the same time?
And maybe if you can't do that,
How would it look to try?
What would it take to be able to hold attention on your anchor and your whole body?
And lastly,
How does it feel to notice your anchor in relation to the physical space that you're in right now?
And as we come to the end of our practice,
I invite you to notice the sensation of your body resting against your seat or the floor,
Bringing your attention back into the space that you're in,
And noticing the next three breaths exactly as they are.
So that's it.
Thank you.
