So find your comfortable position,
Sitting or lying down,
It's up to you.
And take a deep breath in,
Breathing out and gently close your eyes,
Allowing your attention to turn inwards on your experience right now,
Feeling grounded and supported by the surface you're resting on.
And take another deep breath in,
Breathing out and allow the weight of your body to go down into the ground.
And now just to allow your mind to settle a little bit,
Shift your attention to your breath,
Your breathing.
Resting your attention on the sensations of your breathing,
Moving in and out of your nostrils,
Being present with each and every breath.
And trusting that your breathing will naturally guide you back to a place of stillness that's kinder than thinking,
And bigger than thinking,
And wiser than thinking.
Feeling the cool air coming in,
And the warm air going out.
And if your mind is particularly busy,
Noticing that's the way it is today,
And that's okay.
Each time we sit down in meditation,
We sit down with a different mind and a different body.
There can be a different charge to both,
But there's no need to judge.
Just notice there's a busy mind here right now,
Or maybe some tension,
And as an act of kindness towards yourself,
Move your attention back to your breathing,
Wholeheartedly,
With trust and care.
And as you breathe,
Noticing if your attention's taken away to any particular body sensation.
Noticing if there's a pull,
Maybe an area of tension,
Of discomfort.
It might be a familiar area where you store anxiety or stress,
Or it might be a very light undercurrent of unease that maybe you can't quite pinpoint.
And allow your attention to move towards that area,
Only going as close as you feel is comfortable.
And you might want to stay on the periphery of this sensation,
Or you might want to move in a bit deeper.
Being curious about what you notice.
And you can say to yourself,
It's okay,
It's already here,
Let me feel it.
And as you feel it,
Take a deep breath in,
Breathing into it,
And breathing out,
Allowing it to soften and release.
Once again,
Breathe into it,
And breathe in acceptance.
It's here now.
Breathing out,
Allowing it to soften and release,
And then gently letting it go.
And this isn't a pushing away,
It's just a release,
There's no need to cling to it.
It can still stay around if it wants to,
But you're no longer in reaction to it.
It's just there.
And again,
Breathing in a kindly acceptance,
Breathing out a softening and release.
And continuing to do this at your own pace with your breathing,
There's no need to breathe in any other way.
Just following your natural breath,
Breathing in acceptance,
Breathing out and letting go.
Breathing in acceptance,
Breathing out and letting go.
And now,
Shifting your senses more to the outside world,
To sounds around you.
And gently open your eyes as we end this meditation.