Hi,
My name is Asa,
Welcome to this relaxed awareness guided meditation.
In this meditation,
You'll practice open monitoring,
A type of mindfulness meditation where the awareness is open to all sensations,
Thoughts,
And emotions in a zoomed out,
Non-reactive and non-judgmental manner.
We'll begin with focusing on one object,
The breath,
And then slowly expand the awareness outward.
Please come to a comfortable seat.
You may close your eyes or leave them open with a soft gaze on the floor a few feet in front of you.
Relax your face and soften your jaw.
With the next three exhales,
Visualize a wave of relaxation flowing through your body and releasing any tension.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
Notice where you feel the breath the strongest in your body,
Perhaps through the rise and fall of your belly or chest,
The subtle movement in your shoulders as you breathe in and out,
Or maybe you notice your breath the most in your throat or at the opening of your nostrils.
Without changing your breath or judging how it should be,
Let it flow naturally.
Observe the length of the breath and how far down it feels like it's moving into your body.
Notice the temperature of the breath,
How it feels cooler on the inhale and warmer on the exhale.
Become aware of all of the little movements in your body as you breathe in and out.
Stay curious and watch the next several breaths as closely as possible.
If your mind starts to wander,
Take a deep breath and then bring your focus back to your body breathing.
Next,
Open your awareness out a little further to include the sensations of your body.
While maintaining your awareness on your breath,
Become aware of your hands resting on your lap,
Of the moisture in your mouth,
Of the beat of your heart,
Of the rise and fall of your shoulders as you breathe in and out,
And of the connection between yourself and the chair or the floor.
Practice having a relaxed awareness of your breath and your body all at once.
And again,
If your mind wanders,
Take a deep breath and refocus.
Let's take it another step further by expanding the awareness to include thoughts.
Allow any thoughts to pass through your mind like clouds in the sky.
Try not to react to or judge the thoughts.
Only notice the mind is thinking and then return your focus to that relaxed,
Open awareness.
And if any emotions are swirling around inside today,
Allow them to be here too.
Release any judgments or reactions to the emotions.
Zoom your awareness back out and re-center yourself in that relaxed,
Open awareness of your breath,
Your body,
And your mind.
Practice staying present,
Moment to moment,
With whatever arises.
.
.
Sensations in the body,
Changes in the breath,
Random thoughts,
Strong emotions,
Various sounds,
Everything you're experiencing in the present moment.
Be here now.
If your awareness gets pulled into one direction and away from that relaxed,
Open presence,
Take a deep breath and refocus.
You may even silently say to yourself,
Open,
As a reminder to open your awareness back up.
I'll leave you with a few minutes to practice this relaxed,
Open awareness.
As our practice comes to an end,
I invite you to notice how you feel.
By observing ourselves without judgment,
We can start to become aware of our thought patterns and how they play a role in our emotions.
This can provide valuable insight into the inner workings of our minds.
When you're ready,
Take a deep breath in,
And on your exhale,
Gently sit back,
Take a stretch,
And blink open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing this relaxed awareness guided meditation.
I wish you a wonderful rest of your day.
