For this meditation,
You can find a comfy spot seated or lying down or somewhere in between.
Whatever feels right for you at this moment.
Go ahead and settle into whatever that position is or looks like for you today.
Snuggling in,
Seeing if there's anything you can do to make yourself even 10% more comfortable.
And feel free to make any adjustments as we go along.
You are not resigned to one position or another.
There's no right or wrong way to sit or lie for this meditation.
Whatever feels good to you is the right way.
So just making those adjustments as we go along.
If you need to shift at all,
Go ahead and do it.
We're going to start by turning our awareness to the room that you're in or if you're outside,
Inside.
You can gently close the eyes halfway or all the way,
Noticing any sounds that are present wherever you are,
Near or far.
There's usually a lot more sounds that are present than we are initially aware of.
So just taking time to listen,
To orient yourself to the present moment where you are.
Maybe it's the sound of a fan or voices filtering in from another room.
Maybe the sound of a building settling,
Anything at all.
Pulling your awareness now,
Stretching out your sense of hearing as far away from where your physical body is as possible.
Stretching that hearing out away from you and seeing if you can notice what is the furthest away sound that you can feel or hear right now.
And as you notice it,
Slowly drawing your sense of hearing closer and closer to where you physically are,
Taking note of all the sounds along the way and where they are in relation to where you are until you get to the thing that is closest to you.
It might even be a sound that originates from you.
It could be the sound of your breath,
Maybe some gurgling in the stomach,
Maybe it's something else.
Tuning into your sense of touch next and just feeling whatever is touching the body.
It could be various articles of clothing.
Can you feel your socks?
Can you feel your t-shirt?
Can you differentiate the different textures that are touching your skin?
Can you feel the surface that you're lying or sitting on?
Noticing all the points of contact.
Maybe you can notice the ambient temperature of the room,
The difference in temperature from skin that is covered with clothing and skin that's exposed.
Noticing anything else that your sense of touch can bring to you.
And with your eyes closed or slightly open,
Noticing the different shadows or shades of light as they play across the eyelids.
Even with your eyes closed,
We can tune into our sense of vision.
Maybe it's different colors that float on the backs of the eyelids,
Lights,
Sense of light and dark.
Relaxing the muscles around the eyes,
Relaxing the muscles of the face,
Tapping into your sense of taste and smell.
Noticing are there any smells present in the room?
Is there a taste in your mouth?
Knowing that it's okay if nothing is immediately obvious.
We're just noticing what's present.
This is all about accessing the present moment.
Our five senses enable us to interface with the present moment.
When we need a break from worrying about the past or the future,
When we need that really essential recharge moment,
The present moment is it.
And your five senses are a gateway into it.
Letting your mind wander now to one sense or the other.
Again,
Just noticing your environment and noticing you in it.
There's nothing else you need to say or do in this moment.
There will be time for that yet.
But for right now,
In this moment,
This is the most effective use of your time.
This is recharging.
This is the yin that enables the yang.
Staying with these sensations for a few moments longer.
Maybe becoming aware of your breath.
Noticing the inhale and the exhale.
Filling up the lungs with fresh air and releasing anything that needs to come out on that out breath.
Relax.
Release.
When you feel ready,
Give yourself a whole body stretch.
You can reach the arms up overhead.
Reaching the rib cage up with it.
Getting that stretch through the mid-body.
Stretching the legs out long.
Take your biggest breath yet here.
Nice deep breath.
Inhale.
Big open mouth exhale.
Slowly letting the eyes fall open if they were closed.
And again,
Just reorienting yourself to the space around you.
Ready for the next part of the day.
I want to thank you for taking this really important break.
Taking care of yourself.
It can feel hard sometimes.
And you did an excellent job.
Know that you can tap into your five senses at any point during the day when you need a little micro break.
They are always there for you.
Take care and be well.
