A very warm welcome to this meditation.
My name is Chris and I'll be your guide.
You can do this practice lying down or sitting,
Standing up even.
And you're welcome to close your eyes or simply let your gaze relax.
Your safety and comfort are paramount at all times during the practice.
So please never feel obliged to do anything in particular.
If at any moment you feel uncomfortable,
You're welcome to stop the practice or perhaps simply listen.
So in a few moments I will ring the bell three times and I will do the same at the end of the meditation.
So allowing yourself to fully arrive here in this moment.
So making any micro adjustments to your posture.
Adopting a posture of wakefulness,
Presence.
Allowing your shoulders to relax.
Allowing your hands to relax.
To simply rest in your lap or by your side.
As best you can,
Allowing your facial muscles to relax.
In particular your jaw.
Releasing the tongue.
Your eyebrows and your forehead.
Perhaps taking a few deep conscious breaths if that feels okay to do so.
Ideally we inhale through the nose and then we hold for a few moments and we exhale through the mouth.
But please go with what feels comfortable to you.
Allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Knowing that it takes care of you during the practice and way beyond.
So during the practice our minds will wander,
Which is totally normal.
And it can be helpful to settle on an anchor,
What we call an anchor,
A focal point we can return to whenever we have realized that our mind has wandered and then come back to the anchor.
So this could be your breath for example.
Could be your feet on the floor.
It may be a picture on the wall.
So taking a few moments to settle on an anchor of your choice.
And as a first step,
So to speak,
On the path of today's awareness.
This practice.
As best you can becoming aware of any activity in the mind,
Generally speaking.
No need to go and analyze anything in particular.
Just doing a temperature check so to speak.
How am I in this moment?
Of course there is no right or wrong.
Simply becoming aware,
Acknowledging of how I am right now.
What is here for me right now?
And not just in the mind but also in my body.
What is here for me?
What is here for all of me in this moment?
Allowing any restlessness and aches and pains to be here.
And noticing how the mind reacts to that invitation.
And it may be helpful to take another conscious breath.
Deep in breath through the nose.
And then out through the mouth.
Further and further arriving here at this moment.
Not the past,
Not the future.
This moment.
And perhaps tuning into any sounds.
Near and far.
No need to strive here,
Just allowing the vibrations to enter your ears.
Perhaps becoming aware of any sounds from within the body.
Or perhaps just total silence.
Turning into total silence.
And as a second stepping stone into the practice,
As best you can,
Becoming aware of the breath now.
And if the breath is not comfortable for you to focus on,
Feel free to use any other anchor.
And noticing where you can feel your breath right now.
Is there a gentle airflow on the lips or your nostrils?
Or can you feel your chest and belly move?
Again,
No right or wrong.
Simply tuning into the breath and sensations of the breath as best you can.
There is no need to change the way you are breathing.
The invitation is to follow your breath with a new curiosity.
Paying attention in a playful way,
But a sincere way.
For example,
Noticing the small pause between an in-breath and an out-breath,
And the other way around.
Here is a factories- Lift-breath- And there's a good chance that the mind will wander.
As mentioned before,
This is entirely normal.
You're not a robot,
You're a human being.
Minds wander.
It can be helpful to acknowledge where the mind has gone and then label it with one or two words very simply,
Very generally,
So that the mind feels acknowledged and then return the mind and your awareness back to your breath or your chosen anchor.
For example,
I was thinking about work there.
I was planning or I was being jealous or whatever.
Just acknowledging it,
Acknowledging the mind's activity and then returning your awareness to the breath.
Just being with the breath.
Just being with the breath.
Just the breath.
Just being with the breath.
And now we will gently move on to step three of our practice.
First,
Becoming aware of our posture again and once again making any micro adjustments so that we can keep this dignified posture,
This sense of presence.
And indeed becoming aware of the whole of you right now.
From the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
Really expanding that awareness beyond just the breath.
Just acknowledging that we are breathing with every cell of the body.
Really connected to life.
Life within the immediate vicinity.
But also connected to life as in the wider circles around us.
The village or the city we live in,
The community,
The country and beyond.
Connected to the whole world.
And the invitation is to remember that you are a part of that world.
There is a place here for you,
A warm,
Welcoming,
Kind,
Safe,
Opportunity rich place for you.
Even if that is just within your own heart space.
It is there.
And it is accessible.
And so until you hear the sound of the bell allowing yourself to really rest in this heart space.
And in this sense of connection to the wider world.
Holding yourself with kindness,
With self-compassion.
In the knowledge that other meditators around the world are doing the same for you.
Allowing the eyes to open if they were closed.
Lips wiggling,
Fingers and toes,
Doing whatever the body is calling for right now.
That could be nothing.
Simply keeping still,
Making gentle movements,
A few shoulder rolls,
Neck rolls.
As ever there is no right or wrong,
Just following your inner guidance.
And observing any reactivity from the mind here,
Any eagerness to check phones and notifications.
Rush into the next part of the day.
And then as ever,
Allowing that to be there without acting on it.
Allowing yourself to transition into the next part of the day with self-love,
With a sense of grace,
A sense of renewed worthiness and self-respect.
Having this freshly cultivated heart energy with you into the world,
Into your relationships and friendships.
Knowing that you make a difference and that you belong here.
So until we meet again,
Go well and thank you.
