Blessings,
My name is Karen Jones.
And let's come together to awaken to the present moment using our senses.
You can do this meditation sitting or walking outside.
Coming together,
Let's start with the breath.
Breathing in through your nose,
Out through your mouth,
Gently.
Feeling your chest move as you breathe.
Feeling your belly fill as you inhale and relax as you exhale.
We'll begin with hearing.
Notice what is coming to your ears.
Maybe it's the wind,
The sound of leaves rustling,
The sound of water,
The patter of raindrops.
Maybe you're inside and you're hearing the fan.
Somebody talking in the background.
Your cat purring.
Listen.
Focusing as much awareness as you can on listening.
Now,
Place your awareness on the sensation of touch.
You can feel your clothes pressing on your skin,
The breeze touching your face,
The feel of the earth or the floor or the pavement under your feet.
If you're walking,
You can feel your muscles move.
Touch sensation.
Placing your awareness on feeling.
What you're feeling right here,
Right now,
In this present moment.
Now,
Putting your awareness on your sense of smell.
What are you smelling?
Maybe it's someone's perfume,
An essential oil,
The smell of coffee,
The smell of flowers,
Green herbs,
Somebody's garlic.
Focusing your awareness on smell in this present moment.
Perhaps you're noticing a taste,
A recent meal.
What do you taste?
Simply notice.
Perhaps it's nothing.
The taste of your own saliva.
The taste of your taste.
Now,
Gently open your eyes if your eyes are closed.
Let us focus on what you see.
The sun coming up,
Clouds,
Sky,
House or your apartment,
Other people,
Animals,
Plants,
Your desk.
Look for the sake of looking.
What is there that you are seeing here in this present moment?
If you're sitting,
Go ahead and close your eyes again.
And now place your awareness inside,
Inside this body.
What sensations do you notice?
Tons of vibration,
Areas of warmth or coolness.
Focusing in this present moment,
What are you sensing in your body?
And let us come back to the breath.
Gently breathing.
You see,
It is only in this present moment that we can act,
Not in the past nor the future.
And we can use our senses,
Our breath,
Our awareness of this body to come back into the now.
Thank you for joining me.
I would love to hear your comments.
Be well and take care.
