Mindfulness Meditations guided by Una Keeley,
Professional MBSOR,
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Instructor.
20 minute breath and body meditation.
Settling now into the seat that you're going to be using for this guided meditation.
Checking the shoulders,
The back and the spine,
The hips and the legs.
Checking that there's a sense of stability.
Moving the awareness now down to the feet and adjusting the feet into the position that feels right for you.
Position again that offers a sense of stability and stillness to the posture.
And then checking in on your hands.
You can have your palms facing downwards,
Palms facing upwards or you can cup them together in your lap.
And closing your eyes and lowering your eyelids.
And letting go as best you can any sense of tightness or tension you may be noticing in the body.
And beginning now to begin noticing breathing is happening in this moment,
In this body.
And perhaps using the question how do I know breathing is happening?
What's rising in my awareness to show me that breathing is happening?
What sensations am I noticing?
And where in the body am I noticing them?
So beginning to bring the awareness to the nostrils.
And beginning to sense breathing happening and the air coming in the nostrils and the air leaving the body through the nostrils.
And allowing a sense of curiosity to arise so perhaps sensing the temperature of the air coming in.
Bringing the awareness now to the throat area.
And perhaps sensing the air moving in through the throat as it passes down into the lungs.
And now beginning to check in on the shoulders and the chest area.
Just for you noticing a little bit of movement.
Becoming aware of any movement as the air comes in on the inhale.
Perhaps a sense of rising and expansion.
And perhaps a sense of falling and contraction in the chest area when the breath is leaving the body on the exhale.
And as we do this beginning to notice any internal urges to begin controlling breathing.
And as best you can letting go of these urges.
Noticing them and letting go.
We're not trying to control breathing in any way.
We're practicing witnessing breathing happen.
Just this breath.
The body knows how to breathe.
So we're just practicing witnessing this breathing happening.
Noticing the continuous flow of when one breath ends and the next breath begins.
We're not trying to do anything.
We're not trying to get any place.
We're practicing simply being with breathing.
Taking full care and full attention of each breath.
Now as we do this you may have noticed the mind beginning to wander.
And this is part of the meditation practice.
Perhaps the mind has gone off into fantasies,
Imaginings,
Memories in the past,
Anticipations of the future,
Worrying or perhaps for you problem solving.
And when we notice this has happened we practice acknowledging where the mind has gone and perhaps giving it a little label as a way of acknowledging.
So perhaps thinking,
Thinking,
Wandering,
Wandering,
Memories,
Memories.
And then gently guiding the attention back to breathing,
To the anchor of breathing happening in the body,
To the sensation of breathing happening in the body.
Just this breath.
Checking in now on the body posture to see if we've begun leaning forward or if the shoulders are tensed up or if the neck area is tensed up.
And as best you can softening the body,
Allowing the shoulders to drop,
Allowing the neck area to soften.
And returning the attention to breathing,
Full in breath and the full out breath.
Checking in on the face now,
The facial muscles and seeing if the face is tightened in any way.
Perhaps you may notice a frown,
A sense of tightness,
Tension in the face.
And as best you can allowing the face now,
The facial muscles to soften.
Observing being with each breath.
The mind may wander again and again and each time we notice,
Acknowledging,
Giving it a label and coming back to just this breath.
Meaning Sea.
I'm beginning now to move the attention down towards the feet.
I'm beginning to sense the feet coming in contact with the floor,
The carpet,
Perhaps you have a block or a book under your feet.
Sensing that contact.
Being really curious about it.
And what are the qualities of that sensation you're becoming aware of?
Perhaps there's a sense of temperature.
Perhaps becoming aware of tingling or throbbing.
Perhaps the weight of the legs coming down through the feet.
Or perhaps for you there's an awareness of numbness.
And if so,
Just acknowledging this.
Allowing it to be,
Not trying to change it in any way.
Just noticing.
And now beginning to bring the awareness up from the soles of the feet,
Up through the ankles,
The calves,
The knee area,
The thighs,
The hips,
The torso,
The shoulders,
The neck,
The head.
Breathing the awareness right up to the tip of the crown.
And beginning to expand the awareness throughout the whole body.
So sensing the whole of the body sitting here,
Breathing,
Now,
In this moment.
Just this breath.
Sensing the contact with the chair.
Seeing the contact with the floor.
And expanding the awareness out to the very boundary of the body.
Perhaps picking up on the sensation of the clothes on the body.
Perhaps for you picking up on the sensation of the air moving around the body.
Becoming aware of perhaps the temperature on the air as it touches any exposed skin.
Perhaps the hands,
The backs of the hands,
The palms of the hands,
Or the face of the neck.
Sensing the whole of the body breathing.
Just this breath.
And preparing now to come out of this meditation,
So allowing the eyes to stay closed.
And beginning by wiggling the fingers,
Bringing a little bit of movement into the fingers.
Just the tips of the fingers.
And then the hands.
Bringing some movement into the toes.
Allowing bigger movement now.
And beginning to allow the body to move.
And when you're ready,
When the bells ring,
Allowing the eyes to gently open.
And beginning to allow the eyes to gently open.
