Welcome.
Thank you for joining me today for this mindful practice.
So,
To reduce anxiety,
Start by taking a moment to relax your body.
Soften any unnecessary tension in your belly and shoulders,
And find a posture that feels both relaxed and alert.
Rest your hands in an easy,
Effortless way.
With your eyes open,
Take a few moments to scan your awareness through the sensations of your body,
And wherever possible,
Soften and release obvious areas of physical tension.
Let your eyes stay open and focus on the middle of the room,
Wherever you are.
And then see how you can let your awareness travel across the room from where you're sitting.
If you're lying down,
You can let your attention go upwards to the ceiling.
And then notice how you can let your attention come back to the center of the room.
And see if you can bring your attention closer,
To about book-reading distance,
As if you're reading a book in your hands.
So clearly,
You can determine where your attention goes,
And now you can let your eyes close and just let your attention go inward.
And gently focus on the sensations of the breath moving in and out of the body.
And you can let your attention go to wherever the breath comes most naturally to you.
For some people,
It's the sensations of the air in the nostrils,
With that gentle feeling coming in and out,
As the air passes in and out at the nostrils.
For others,
They naturally feel the breath in the chest,
With the rising and falling of the chest,
With each half breath in and out.
And for most beginners,
People feel the breath most naturally in the belly,
Feeling the diaphragm underneath the lungs,
Pulling air into the lungs,
Expanding your belly as you breathe in.
And then,
When the air is released from the lungs as you breathe out,
The belly actually moves inward,
Sensing the abdominal movements in and out.
So see if you can let your awareness ride the wave of the breath,
Wherever you feel it most naturally.
Your nostrils,
Your chest,
Your abdominal movement,
Or for some people,
It's even just the whole body breathing.
Whatever comes naturally for you,
And let's just let your attention ride the wave of your breathing.
As you're sensing your breath in and out,
You may also sense that your mind is as vast as the ocean,
Where deep in the ocean,
Beneath the surface,
It's calm and clear.
And from that deep place in the ocean,
You can look upward toward the surface,
No matter what is going on in your life,
No matter what those conditions are,
Deep in the ocean,
It's calm and clear.
And just sensing your breath allows you to access the depth and stillness of your mind,
As vast as the ocean,
Where from this deep,
Peaceful place,
You can look upward at the waves at the surface,
The brainwaves that are the thoughts and emotions and conditions of your mind.
Can you notice all those fleeting thoughts and emotions that are just there at the surface,
That come and go pretty quickly in and out of your awareness each day,
Like waves at the top of the ocean?
Sensing your breath,
Bringing you back to this peaceful place,
Feeling the profound depth of your mind.
When a thought comes,
Or a feeling,
Memory,
Or sensation,
Then warmly and calming,
Take note of that mental activity and redirect your attention to the breath.
And then let your attention return to the breath,
To this depth of your mind,
Where you can just sense and observe the activities of the mind,
As just activities,
And not the totality of who you are.
See if you can let yourself enjoy the deep tranquility that comes from just sensing the breath,
Knowing that just focusing your mind on your breathing brings you to this deep place of calm and clarity.
And now,
When you're ready,
You can let your eyes open.
May you bring this same quality of kind awareness to the rest of your day,
Feeling relaxed in your body and mind.
Thank you.
