Welcome to your introduction to mindfulness through meditation.
Firstly,
Let's find our position.
Take a seat either in the center of a room,
Crossing your legs in lotus pose,
Or seated on the floor with your back leaning gently against a wall for support,
With perhaps a couple of cushions.
The other option is to remain seated in a chair with your back resting lightly against the back of the chair,
With your feet both heels and ball of the feet,
Making direct contact with the floor.
Whichever position you choose,
Place your palms gently on the tops of your knees,
Fingers spread.
Inhale in,
Open through the chest,
Roll the shoulders back and gently keeping the chin parallel to the ground,
Gently,
Oh so gently,
Closing the eyes.
Feel the eyelids softly closing and gently making contact with one another.
Feel your lips and the mouth completely relax.
Allow the tongue to sit on the roof of the mouth,
Or allow it to sit wherever feels most comfortable for you.
From there,
Keeping the mouth closed,
Bring your mind's attention first to your body.
If you're sitting in a chair,
Bring your mind's attention to the connection between the balls of your feet and the ground.
Bring your attention to the palms of your hands resting on the tops of the knees and on the thighs.
Bring your attention to the warmth that's felt between the connection.
Allow your spine to relax,
Allow its natural curvature.
Rod-like spines are not encouraged.
Rather allow yourself to feel comfortable,
To feel at ease.
Once you're aware of your entire body and its position in this space,
Gently bring your mind's attention to your breath.
With your mouth closed,
Your eyelids gently touching and closed,
You're drawing your breath in through the nostrils and gently out through the nostrils.
With each inhalation,
Bring your attention to the nostrils.
With each exhalation,
Again bring your attention to the nostrils,
How the breath enters through which nostrils.
Keep your focus on your breath.
With each inhalation,
Become aware of the breath entering.
Feel the air slightly cooler and with each exhalation,
Become aware of breath and notice that as it exits,
It feels that little bit warmer.
We bring our mind's attention to breath as breath is synonymous with being.
Simply being means that we are present.
Being present means that in this moment and of this moment,
We are mindful.
So in expanding our practice of mindfulness,
We keep bringing our attention back to our breath.
It is completely natural to feel your mind wandering from this present moment.
It may start up its chatter.
It may start trying to distract you with the events of today.
It may even make you believe that there is something that needs to be attended to right now.
Instead of reacting to this,
Rather just observe.
These are all passing thoughts,
Not reality.
Unlike the river of thoughts,
Allow the thoughts to go right past you without jumping in,
Without reacting.
Allow the thoughts to pass you by simply observing.
And when you're ready,
Gently and with loving kindness,
Gently tug your mind's focus back to being present.
Bring your mind's attention back to breath.
Breathing in through the nostrils.
Breathing out through the nostrils.
I'm going to leave you for a moment here to allow you to experience your form of meditation.
Keep your focus on your in-breath and on your out-breath continually.
Should you feel your mind starting to wander,
Be patient,
Be kind,
Observe the thoughts.
Allow them to come and allow them to pass over.
And then gently again,
Starting again,
Bring your focus back to your breath.
Your breath in and your breath out.
Remember the kindness with which you need to redirect your attention.
This will serve you in the long run.
So again,
Bringing your attention back to the breath in through the nostrils and the breath out through the nostrils,
Allow your body to sink deeper into your being.
Allow your breath to sink deeper into the silence.
And from here,
Take a moment,
Bring your attention to your heart center and feel your heart filling up with light and warmth.
Feel as though someone is pouring a hot gravy all through your heart and filling it up.
Feel the warmth radiating from your chest and from there,
Gently allow yourself to feel the warmth and the love and give thanks to yourself for practicing today,
For allowing yourself to be and for creating mindfulness.
From there,
Deep inhalation in through the nostrils,
Feel the lungs expand,
Opening the chest,
Exhale.
Feel your body relax gently,
Opening the eyes.
