All right,
So just beginning by finding a position that feels supportive for your body that can be lying down,
Resting in a seated position.
Let your hands settle somewhere comfortable.
And if it feels okay,
You can allow your eyes to close or keep them opened,
Maybe just softly.
And take a moment to notice that you have arrived.
There's nothing to fix and nowhere else to go for the next few minutes.
And if it feels comfortable for you,
You may gently bring your attention to your breath.
No need to change it.
You can notice its natural rhythm,
Whether you feel it entering and leaving the nose or the mouth,
Or you feel the rise and fall of the belly.
And if the breath doesn't feel comfortable,
You may focus on other sensations in your body or the noise or visual impact that something external to you may have.
And if you find that your mind is already busy,
That's okay.
There's nothing you need to do about that.
You can just notice your point of focus,
Whether that's the breath,
Sensations or something external to you.
Just noticing them in the background.
And you might also begin to notice the surface beneath you.
Could be the floor or the chair,
A couch or a bed.
Just the weight of your body being held.
Letting yourself feel supported just even a little.
And if it's helpful,
You can also notice a sound in the room or outside the room.
Letting your awareness move gently between inside and outside.
And we'll start our rotation of consciousness.
It gives the mind a job.
So moving the attention through the body,
You don't need to feel anything in particular.
Just letting awareness lightly touch each place that I'll name.
Starting with the right hand thumb,
Index,
Middle,
Ring and little finger,
Palm and back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm and shoulder.
And moving to the left side,
Starting with the thumb,
Index,
Middle,
Ring,
Little finger,
Palm and back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm and shoulder.
Feeling both shoulders together.
The chest,
The belly,
The hips.
Going down the right leg,
Starting with the thigh to the knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Top and sole of the foot and all toes.
And going down the left leg,
Starting again with the thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Top and sole of the foot and the toes.
The entire body all together.
Resting.
And next we'll begin to explore a few gentle opposites.
There's nothing that you need to force.
Just imagine or sense what's available to you.
So the opposites of a busy mind and a quiet mind.
Bringing to mind the feeling of a busy mind.
Thoughts moving quickly,
Jumping from one thing to another.
You might notice images,
Words and movement.
Just noticing what busy feels like for you.
And now gently shift.
Imagine the feeling of a quiet mind.
Not an empty mind,
Just a slower mind.
A spacious mind.
Like there's room between thoughts.
No need to hold anything,
Just noticing.
And moving back and forth between the busy mind and the quiet mind.
Busy and quiet.
And next sensing the opposites of effort and ease.
Now sensing effort.
The feeling of trying,
Holding and doing.
And there might be a place in your body where you notice this.
And now think of ease.
Letting go of effort.
Even slightly.
With nothing to achieve.
Just being here.
And again.
Sensing the difference between effort and ease.
Effort and ease.
Next we'll move on to the difference between tension and softness.
Noticing any tension in the body.
Taking note of where the body might be holding.
And then inviting softness.
Even just 1% softer.
No forcing.
Just a gentle allowing.
Just sensing the difference between tension and softness.
The difference between tension and softness.
And now letting go of this idea of opposites.
Letting everything just be as it is.
The thoughts will still come and go.
Sounds will come and go.
Sensations may shift.
But you don't need to follow any of these.
Just resting.
In awareness.
Nothing to hold on to.
Nothing to push away.
And if you prefer to stay here.
Please allow yourself to do so.
Otherwise you may begin to deepen your breath.
Or notice the sensations in your body.
Or take account of any sounds,
Movements of light or other stimuli.
External to you.
And noticing the body once again.
Noticing the space around you.
You might choose to wiggle fingers or toes.
Maybe take a deep stretch.
Above all else taking your time.
And you may take a moment to notice.
Even if your mind was busy.
Were you able to rest?
And if anything at all about this practice felt unsettling to you.
Please take some time to do something grounding for yourself.
And I'd like to thank you for taking the time to take care of yourself today.
Namaste.
