Welcome.
My name is Katie and I will be guiding you today in a four-part check-in practice.
This is one of my favorite practices.
I use it every single day and it's something that I can use as a standalone practice by itself or as an entry to a longer practice.
A favorite quote of mine is that you can't know how to get where you're going unless you know where you're starting from.
And this is a great practice to help us know where we're starting from.
So we'll start by settling in,
Finding a comfortable position for the body,
Maybe noticing if there is an inclination to sit,
Stand,
Or lie down,
And if there's any inclination towards movement or stillness,
And allowing ourselves the space to choose what feels right for us right now.
And as we pick a comfortable position,
Starting with a few more intentional breaths,
A little deeper inhale and a longer slower exhale.
Helping to encourage the body and the mind to transition from whatever we've been doing into this period of practice.
Allowing these deeper breaths to be our cue that it's safe to slow down for a little bit.
And drawing the attention to the physical body,
Our first part of our check-in.
Noticing what's happening in the physical body today.
It's taking note of the first thing that jumps out at you.
And then moving on to explore.
What is the temperature of the air on the skin?
Temperature of the body?
Noticing if there is any Noticing if there is any movement or vibration,
Any shaking or twitching,
Trembling present.
Is there any tingling or any tension anywhere?
Noticing if any areas feel heavy or light.
Maybe noticing if there is any physical discomfort present in the body today.
Noticing what the breath is like.
Noticing if the heart rate is fast or slow.
Whatever we notice in this practice,
We're just taking stock.
There's no need to change anything.
It's like checking the refrigerator before you go to the grocery store.
Just seeing what's here today.
And allowing the attention to shift to notice what's happening in the mind.
Our second part of our check-in.
Is the mind filled with thoughts?
Or maybe the mind is quieter today.
As the thoughts come and pass by,
We might notice if the mind feels like it's moving fast or slow.
Do the thoughts feel repetitive?
Or maybe they're a little bit all over the place.
And does the mind feel like it's moving with any sort of urgency or determination?
Or is there more of a fluidity?
We're just noticing.
Even when what we notice might be annoying or frustrating.
We're just trying to notice what's there.
We don't need to change it.
And allowing the attention to shift again towards the third part of our check-in.
Towards our emotional landscape.
Is there any apparent emotions happening right now?
It's okay if there are not.
Just noticing what might be indicating to you that there is an emotion happening.
We might even notice that we have a bit of residual emotion from examining what our mind was just doing.
And as we explore our emotional landscape,
Remembering that it's okay if it's not clear.
We don't have to have an obvious word or specific emotion.
It's okay if it's more of a nebulous feeling.
There's something you don't have a word for,
But just a sense of.
We might also notice here some physical sensations that might be cluing us in to an emotion that's happening,
That's showing up in the body.
And again,
Not needing to change anything.
Noticing if any judgment comes up with what we find or don't find when we explore with curiosity.
And allowing the attention to shift again to the fourth part of our check-in.
To notice what is happening in our energetic self.
What does our whole being feel like today?
There are many ways to notice what this feels like.
Again,
There might not be a specific word.
But you might notice a color or fluidity of colors,
Patterns,
Textures that you might feel or visualize.
There might be a sense of weight,
Of heaviness or lightness.
Might be a speed.
Feel like you're moving quickly or slowly or not at all.
Is there some trajectory of what you're noticing?
Does it stay close or roam far?
And as we draw our practice to a close today,
Allow the attention to shift away from what is happening in the energetic,
Emotional,
Mental and physical body.
Allow it to shift back into the room around you.
Noticing whatever is most obvious to you right away.
Notice any changes that may have occurred since we started our practice.
Remembering that there doesn't need to be any change or any goal.
Just engaging in this practice of curiosity is a useful and valuable tool in and of itself.
Thank yourself for showing up and spending time tending to you and exploring with curiosity what's happening right now.
I have enjoyed practicing with you today.
Thank you.
