Welcome,
I'm Bethany,
And I'm honored to be here with you as your guide to connect with your observing self.
This is a guided mindfulness practice inspired by acceptance and commitment therapy and internal family systems.
We'll begin by finding a comfortable position,
Perhaps sitting upright,
Feet flat on the floor,
Or lying down if that feels more supportive for you at this moment.
You may allow your hands to rest softly,
And when you're ready,
Close your eyes or gently lower your gaze.
Begin to notice your breath.
The air moving in through your nose,
Into your lungs,
And slowly flowing back out again.
There is your breath,
And there you are noticing it.
Your breath changes,
Sometimes deep,
Sometimes shallow,
But the part of you that notices your breath does not change.
You may even recall noticing your breath when you were a child.
Smaller lungs,
Smaller body,
But the same you was noticing it then.
Now gently turn your attention toward your thoughts and begin to notice where they seem to be.
Perhaps in your head,
Floating nearby,
Behind your eyes,
Notice the way your breath moves.
What is their texture?
Are they words,
Pictures,
Or memories?
As you notice them,
Say softly inward,
There are my thoughts,
And here I am noticing them.
If you can notice your thoughts,
You are not your thoughts.
Your thoughts come and go,
Happy,
Sad,
Anxious,
Peaceful,
But the you that notices those thoughts,
The one that sees without judgment,
Remains steady.
That may spark even more thoughts,
Figuring it out,
Trying to understand.
I begin to allow those thoughts to come and go like passing clouds,
And give yourself permission to be with this mindfulness practice.
Now bring your awareness to your body.
Feel where it meets the surface beneath you.
Notice sensations in the body,
Perhaps warmth,
Coolness,
Pressure,
There is your body,
And there you are noticing it.
Your body has changed with time.
It's grown older,
Stronger,
Softer,
But the one who observes it now is the same one who noticed it years ago.
Continue to notice your body.
Now begin to scan your body slowly from head to toe,
Not to fix anything,
Just to witness.
Notice any sensations that call your attention as you move from top to bottom.
Pick one of these sensations and begin to feel into its texture,
Shape,
Temperature,
Even noticing where it begins and ends within your body.
There is this sensation and here I am noticing it.
Your sensations change,
But the one who notices them,
That steady awareness is constant.
Notice where you're feeling that constant steady witness from within.
Now let's turn toward any parts of you that are present,
Parts that might be judging,
Planning,
Even evaluating this experience.
You might gently say,
I see you.
Thank you for your efforts.
You can rest now.
I am here with you.
And from this calm noticing place,
You may begin to sense self-energy,
That spacious,
Curious,
Compassionate presence that is not a part,
But the one who is with all the parts.
Now notice the roles you may be holding,
Parent,
Partner,
Student,
Child,
Friend.
All of your roles shift and evolve,
But the one who notices them does not.
There were roles that you held earlier in your life that maybe you don't have now.
And there may be roles that you hold later that you're not even aware of.
And this awareness that's with you right now was with you as a child and will be with you always.
Notice even as your roles in life come and go.
We don't always have a word for this part of you in our Western culture.
In acceptance and commitment therapy,
It's called the observing self.
In IFS,
We might recognize it as the self,
Your essential nature,
Calm,
Curious,
Compassionate,
And clear.
We'll close with a gentle visualization.
I'll invite you to imagine that your awareness is like the sky,
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Roles,
Sensations.
They are like the weather and the weather is always changing.
It moves,
It storms,
It calms,
But the sky is always there,
Vast,
Spacious,
And untouched.
Even when you can't see it,
It's still there.
So too is this part of you,
The one who witnesses,
The one who holds,
The one who leads.
May you carry this connection with you into your day and return to this subtle awareness whenever you need throughout your day.
Now take a few slow,
Deep breaths in and out,
Beginning to shift your awareness outward into your environment.
Slowly allow yourself to transition by gently opening your eyes or moving in a gentle,
Soft way.
Ready for your day.
