Taking a deep breath in here through your nose to get settled.
Letting it out through your mouth.
Gently closing your eyes if that's comfortable for you,
Otherwise taking a soft gaze just ahead of you.
Checking in with your body here,
Noticing if you need to adjust your posture at all.
You might notice you want to roll your shoulders up and back,
Finding a little more space across your collarbones.
You might want a pillow or something behind your back to help you feel rested and upright.
Noticing what feels comfortable for your hands here.
Resting in your lap,
One on the other or maybe one on each leg,
Palms up or palms down.
This kind of inquiry can feel a little bit like before you head out the door,
You want to check for all the things in your pockets,
In your bag.
But really,
The practice has already begun.
Noticing our body in this moment.
Is mindfulness.
It requires mindfulness.
And the beauty of that is,
As we bring our attention to our hands and our legs,
If we're really with that,
Our brain can't be thinking other things,
Taking us down a big story.
Of course,
It'll chime in a lot during practice,
But that's fine too.
That's its own opportunity for mindfulness.
Letting your attention rest here somewhere in your body that feels easy to be with.
It might be a sensation of touch,
Pressure,
Like your feet on the floor,
Your hands on your legs,
Or it's somewhere lighter,
Maybe an earlobe or the tip of your nose.
Finding a spot like that in your body this morning.
See if you can just rest your attention there.
Sometimes when we check in with our bodies,
It isn't always doing exactly what we'd like it to be doing.
That can cause a lot of suffering.
Whether it's an ache or pain,
Or more of a functional concept,
Our body doesn't do what our brain is always wanting it to do.
And a little bit counter to our natural reaction to want to push that experience away,
Can we shift instead into a bit of gratitude?
Not gratitude for the pain,
Or the ache,
Or the ailment,
But gratitude for our body that is trying its very hardest to function well for us.
Gratitude for all the little cells trying to do what they do best with the conditions available.
Finding gratitude that you're here in this moment.
And not worrying about the next moment,
Or the one we just had.
Just this one.
Noticing if you're able to continue to be with a point on your body,
Or maybe a different part of your body that feels easy to be with.
Exploring if you can just be with the sensations that are just so easy to be with.
Exploring if you can just be with the sensations as they are feedback in your body.
And noticing that experience just before your brain comes online to overlay it with some kind of judgment or story.
Finding a curiosity for your sensory experience,
Rather than a more cerebral curiosity.
So let's rest in silence with a place on your body,
Or maybe it needs to move around a little bit,
Your attention,
I mean.
To multiple places that feel easy to be with.
Just rest there.
Noticing here where your attention is.
Bringing it back to your feet on the ground.
Your hands on your lap.
And noticing how you're held by the ground beneath you.
And even if you're several feet of concrete,
Even a couple floors off the ground,
You're still being held by the earth.
You can always come back to this remembering that it's not you alone.
But you're always supported by all of the beings all around you.
Extending a bit of metta to ourselves and all of the beings held by the earth.
Taking a deep breath in,
A deep breath out.
May all beings be happy and healthy.
May all beings live with ease.
May all beings live in peace.
You might put a hand over your heart and thank yourself for taking time to practice today.
Pretending to yourself and this body that you're stewarding in this lifetime.
Coming back at any point today,
This week,
This month,
To parts of your body that are easy to be with whenever you need a break.
A resting place.
Whenever you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes.
Let your hand fall back in your lap and come back to the space you're in.
