Welcome.
My name is Lindsay Gerber and thank you for allowing me to guide you through this meditation today.
I'm going to walk you through a grounding meditation in which we will use our five senses to connect to the present moment.
This is something you can access if you are stressed,
Feeling anxious,
Or when you want to increase your awareness to feel more connected.
This practice is always available to you and can be done anywhere because we are always equipped with our senses on hand.
The strength of this meditation lies in its ability to shift our focus away from distress by engaging fully and intentionally with our senses,
Calming our nervous system,
And disengaging us from worry thoughts.
We are going to start out today by finding a comfortable position.
You can perform this meditation standing up,
Sitting down,
Or lying on your back.
Allow yourself to take whatever position feels most comfortable and accessible to you today.
Let's begin by taking a cleansing breath in,
Slowly inhaling,
Feeling the belly expand with oxygen,
And then exhale,
Blowing the breath out like you would a set of candles.
Now take a look around you.
Start to observe and take in your surroundings.
Notice five things that you can see.
It could be a brown couch,
A colorful poster on the wall,
A red apple.
Try to label the things around you non-judgmentally,
Just noticing the things in your visual awareness.
Now notice four things that you can touch.
It could be the soft fur of your pet,
The pages of a book,
Or the cool sensation of tile floors underneath your feet.
Explore your tactile surroundings.
Now listen for three things you can hear.
The ticking of a clock,
A swift breeze rustling through the trees,
Or the sound of traffic in the distance.
You may be surprised by what enters into your auditory awareness.
Now find two things you can smell.
The fresh scent of your laundry detergent,
The smell of dinner cooking in the kitchen.
Allow yourself to be drawn in by the scent.
Lastly,
Name one thing you can taste.
It could be the lingering taste of your morning's toothpaste.
Feel free to lick your lips as you explore your sense of taste.
Now let's close our practice by deeply breathing in and exhaling slowly together.
Take a few deep breaths just like that.
While you continue to breathe,
I invite you to take a moment to check in with yourself.
How do you feel in your body?
What are you more aware of now that you weren't before?
How did your mind and body shift from before this meditation to now?
Feel free to come back to this quick and effective meditation whenever you need to.
And thank you for sharing in this moment with me.
