Beginning by noticing your posture,
Your position,
Ensuring that it's comfortable for you,
That you feel settled.
If you're happy to just gently closing your eyes,
Bringing your attention to where your body is connected with the supporting surface,
Feeling the sensations of where your body meets the supports,
Perhaps meeting the ground.
Your feet might be in contact with the floor,
The earth,
Feeling those sensations of contact.
Your legs might be in contact with the chair,
Cushion or floor,
Noticing sensations there.
Sensations in your bottom as well,
Perhaps your back.
Have a back rest or if you're laying down,
Noticing what it's like to be held here,
Held by the supportive surface,
Held by the earth.
Letting yourself rest into your seat upon the earth,
Bringing your attention to the temperature of the air where you are,
Perhaps you sense a coolness or a warmth.
Maybe there's a gentle breeze brushing past your skin,
Noticing the feeling of your clothing,
The texture against your skin,
And letting your attention move to the sounds around you.
Your attention might move from sound to sound or remain on a particular sound.
Noticing what sounds you can hear,
Letting the sound be sound without adding any story,
Just allowing the sounds to come and go.
Perhaps noticing how there might be a sense of a background,
Awareness of sound,
A sense of quiet,
A sense of quiet that is aware of the sounds,
The quiet that remains even if the sounds disappear and there's silence,
That sense of aware presence or awareness,
Just allowing what's here to move and flow,
Move and flow,
Aware of it and holding it lightly.
So holding the sounds lightly,
Observing them as they come and go.
With your next in-breath,
Breathing in perhaps a little deeper and noticing if there's any fragrances where you are,
Giving your attention to any fragrance or smell in the space you're in.
This might activate even some taste in your mouth,
Running your tongue around your teeth,
Feeling the sensation and swallowing,
Noticing any tastes that are there and letting your attention now come a little bit deeper into the body,
Exploring your body and any sensations that you find.
Noticing what's here,
Perhaps there's tingling in certain areas,
Some areas might feel a little tight or tense,
Others might feel open or relaxed,
Warm or cool,
Feeling what you feel,
Letting your experience be exactly as it is without needing it to be different.
Attention perhaps resting on one particular sensation or you might move from sensation to sensation.
Either is okay,
Inviting a sense of kindness to what you notice,
A sense of okayness as it is,
Allowing it to be as it is,
Letting everything else drop away,
Simply being present with what's here right now.
When you're ready,
Bringing your attention to the feeling of your breath,
Noticing the breath,
How it naturally moves,
Paying attention to the feeling of each in-breath and out-breath,
Where you notice it most prominently.
If it feels a little strange giving your attention to the breath,
Like you're controlling your breath,
That's perfectly normal.
You might like to explore the sensation where you feel the breath most prominently and giving your attention with kindness to the sensation and just see how it unfolds or if that's a little uncomfortable,
You're welcome to bring your attention back to perhaps the sensations of your feet on the floor,
The sounds around you,
The smells or tastes.
Any one of the senses can be an anchor to a felt sense of deep presence,
Felt sense of being here now.
And as well,
For some,
The breath is a beautiful anchor to that felt sense of presence,
Exploring your experience,
If that's the breath or one of the senses,
Letting your attention rest with the sensations of your experience without it having to be any different.
Simply noticing what you notice and feeling what you feel as you rest with the breath or sensations of one of the senses,
Giving a part of your attention to this poem called The Breath of Life by Dana Faulds.
I breathe in all that is,
Awareness expanding to take everything in as if my heart beats the world into being.
From the unnamed vastness beneath the mind,
I breathe my way into wholeness and healing.
Inhalation,
Exhalation,
Each breath a yes and a letting go,
A journey and a coming home.
Noticing how you feel in your own time,
Slowly reconnecting with your senses,
Feeling your body against the chair,
The cushion,
The mat,
The ground.
Noticing the play of sound,
Feeling the air moving into and out of your lungs and slowly reconnecting with the space around you,
Opening your eyes when you feel ready to.
