Hi,
I'm Robert.
Welcome to today's practice.
Let's find a quiet place where we feel safe and if possible comfortable.
We might sit on the floor,
On a cushion or yoga block.
If possible,
Our knees should be resting on the ground,
Positioned lower than our hips.
We can also kneel if we have a small stool or we can sit on a chair or even stand.
We can choose to keep our eyes closed or open,
Whatever suits you better.
And now,
Let's take a moment to become aware of our intention and motivation.
Why am I sitting down for a mindfulness practice today?
Maybe I want to settle my mind a bit,
Cultivate awareness,
Connect with my body or anything else.
It doesn't even have to be in words.
Perhaps it's more of a feeling in the body.
What is it for me right now?
What is it for me right now?
Once we recognize our intention,
We can release it to the universe and let it be.
Now,
Let's find a place in our body where we can sense our breath most clearly.
It might be the belly rising and falling,
Or the chest expanding,
Or maybe the nose where the nostrils move slightly as the air comes in and out.
Or even somewhere else.
Where is it for me at this moment?
Once we find this place,
We can rest our attention there and just observe how our body is moving when we exhale and inhale.
And we can also start counting to three or four on each inhale.
And to three or four on each exhale.
If counting wouldn't feel comfortable,
We can use a phrase instead.
I feel my body breathing in.
I feel my body breathing out.
Most likely,
Thoughts will arise at a certain point.
Maybe just from time to time,
Maybe often,
Maybe almost constantly.
And all of that is completely okay.
We can allow these thoughts flow in the background.
Like passing clouds.
And if we notice that any of these thoughts has carried us away,
We can just say hello to the thought and smile at it.
And then gently return our attention to our body breathing in and out.
And to the counting or phrases.
And now we can let go of the counting or phrases and put more emphasis on our exhale.
A bit like when we sit down on a sofa after a long day and just sigh and release.
So with the same idea,
We can exhale as if we are letting go of anything that we don't need right now.
Feel free to make sounds when exhaling.
And we might notice how our body relaxes with each breath out.
Every inhale brings a little bit of tension into the body.
And every exhale brings a little release.
With each breath out,
We can let our body sink into the chair or the cushion that we are sitting upon.
And we can also ask ourselves,
Can my mind learn something from my body?
Can my mind release thoughts with the same ease as the body releases the breath?
And now we can slowly finish.
This deep out breaths.
And just let the breath do its work on its own.
It will take care of itself without us doing anything.
And let's just observe the breath as it goes for a couple of moments.
And at this point,
Let's expand our attention from our breath to the entire body.
We can still keep some awareness on our breath in the background.
But we also bring our attention to our physical sensations.
We can notice the right side of the body,
The left side of the body,
The upper half of the body and the lower half of the body.
We can also notice the points where our body meets the floor,
The chair or the cushion.
And we can sense how the earth is holding us firmly.
And just as the earth is holding our body,
Our body can hold and support our mind,
Allowing it to drop down into the body and just relax.
And if a thought appears,
That's completely okay.
We can just let it pass,
Like our body lets each breath pass.
What is happening in my body right now?
We can also notice the edges of our body,
Where the body meets the surrounding space.
Perhaps there's a subtle sensation of the touch of the air or the clothes on our skin.
And with the next inhale,
Let's extend our awareness from the body to the sounds around us and within us.
We still keep a background awareness of our body and the breath,
But we now add another layer,
The sounds.
No need to analyze or interpret the sounds,
We simply notice them and let them be.
Our attention can flow between our breath,
The body and the sounds.
And we can just be,
Just rest in our body,
Allowing everything to happen.
And any sound we notice can serve as a reminder to stay or come back to the present moment.
We can allow our thoughts to come and go,
But we don't engage with them.
And we just rest in our body,
Supported by the earth.
Wishing you a wonderful day and looking forward to the next time.
