Hello and welcome.
One of the gifts of mindfulness is that it teaches us that we can begin again as many times as we'd like.
And we practice this when our mind drifts and we return to an anchor that we've set like the breath or the body.
We don't give up,
We return to center and we begin again.
This teaching is also a gift we can carry with us throughout the day.
And sometimes it can really feel like our minds are co-opted by events and that we're victims to the changing circumstances around us.
For instance,
We're in a good mood and we're feeling ambitious about the day ahead and then we receive an email that derails us or even see something in the media that clouds our minds.
And it can sometimes be hours before we find our way back to that sense of well-being that we began with if we find our way back at all.
It really doesn't have to be that way.
Mindfulness reminds us that we can begin again when our mind wanders during our practice.
This applies to our entire day too.
We can begin again as many times as we need to all day long.
By waiting until the end of the workday or until a new event comes along to shift our thinking or our emotions,
We can begin again at any moment.
I use this practice as a sort of midday shift and reset for myself so I can begin my afternoon afresh,
But you can really use it any time that you'd like to start over,
Start fresh,
Or begin again.
So let's start by settling in.
Take a moment here to notice where you're sitting or standing.
Let your eyes fall shut.
Find a posture where you can be both relaxed and alert.
And we'll begin by breathing a little more slowly and deeply than normally,
Following the breath in and out of the body and letting it take us more deeply into the body and into the moment.
Giving our full attention to the breath here.
Go ahead and let your breath resume its natural rhythm.
And as you continue the breathing,
We've also called in mind where you were and what you were doing before you began this practice.
Just play it out in your mind like a video.
We're just noticing here.
Where was I before I was here?
Nothing to fix or judge.
Noticing.
And as the bell sounds,
Consciously set this aside,
Let it go.
And now move your attention into the future.
Ask yourself the question,
What will I be doing after I finish this practice?
So we're thinking here about what's waiting for you next in your day.
Again,
Just play this out as you imagine it will be as if you're watching a video.
No judgment or action needed.
Just noticing.
Where will I be when I leave here?
And this time as the bell sounds,
Consciously set aside these future thoughts.
Let them go.
And now return attention to the breath and make a choice to give your full attention to this moment.
Having set aside the past and set aside the future,
We're selecting for the present moment here and now and savoring it.
Just following the breath in and out of the body,
Savoring that experience and the moment.
And if thoughts distract you when you become aware of them,
Just summon yourself back to the present moment gently and with compassion.
Bring to the breath and as you do so saying to yourself,
Begin again,
Begin again.
I'm going to be ringing a bell from time to time.
And if you find you've drifted away and thought,
Let the bell just be a reminder,
A prompt to return to the present and to begin again.
I'm going to be ringing a bell from time to time.
Focused on the breath,
Focused on the body or lost in thought,
Wherever you are at this moment,
Begin again.
Observing the experience of the breath,
Letting thought and emotion move through but not following them.
Watching,
Being the observer,
Thoughts are clouds drifting across the horizon of mind.
And we can return to the breath saying begin again,
Renewed and deepened each time we return to our anchor.
This is our practice beginning again as many times as we drift away.
When that bell rings,
If you're not lost in thought,
Let the bell call you back to an even deeper presence,
Settling in,
Beginning again.
And before we end our practice,
Let's take a moment to look forward again,
Look into the future and consider now what you'll be doing next after this practice.
What will I do when I finish here?
Let this into your mind.
Watch its place in your life with gratitude and now set an intention as to how you'll step into that next moment.
How will you continue into the day ahead?
Will you cultivate a sense of peace,
Of empathy,
Of curiosity?
What will you bring to that next activity?
Your intention here is your compass.
It's setting your direction.
It's charting your course for what's next.
You may also want to set an intention to begin again as many times as you remember during the day ahead so that you can stay centered and bring your full attention and intention into each moment.
Those around us need us to bring the best of ourselves and we need this for our own well being too.
So let's begin again as many times as we need to begin again.
May it be so.
