Welcome.
The following is a recorded mindfulness meditation with an intention set on cultivating the discipline of the practice.
And so take a moment to find your comfortable position.
Maybe this looks like a seat either on the ground or in a chair.
It also could be standing up or lying down.
But as always,
Looking to find some balance between uprightness and easefulness,
Wakefulness and rest.
And then once you're there,
Allow your shoulders to soften and allow the muscles of your face to soften.
And even here in these initial moments,
You might notice some resistance,
Some dislike of the softening.
That's okay.
That's in fact to be expected.
And stick with it.
So allow your eyebrows to soften and slide towards your temples.
Allow your eyes to either close or just gaze down in front of you.
Allow the muscles of your mouth to soften,
Knowing that there's nothing to say right now.
This commitment to some moments in silence.
And your shoulders are softening so that your arms can be heavy.
And then take a moment to call in an intention for your practice.
Why is it that you're practicing mindfulness?
It might be a personal reason.
It might be a relational reason or a more global reason.
But call that into your sphere right now.
Remind yourself of why you are doing this.
Maybe calling into mind the faces of your family,
The people that you care most about,
Or the feeling of a free heart,
A present heart.
And then allow that intention just to kind of dissolve away,
Knowing that you've now infused your practice with that intention.
And then start to notice your breath.
The rising and falling of the breath.
You might notice it in your nostrils,
This cool and warm air.
You might notice it in your chest,
This natural filling and releasing.
As you're doing this,
Your mind will wander.
Thoughts pop up like bubbles rising to the surface.
That's okay.
It's even okay that you'll get distracted and lose your attention from your breath entirely.
The discipline is simply coming back.
Noticing that you've been distracted and returning your attention to the breath.
Noticing the rising and the falling of the breath.
The breath that moves at a very deliberate and slow pace.
And then again,
Your mind will pick up.
The momentum of the quick thinking mind revs back up and it can be really enticing.
Like a magnet,
Sticky gum.
That's okay.
Discipline isn't in fighting it or becoming irritated by it.
The discipline is in returning home to your breath.
It's right there waiting for you.
The breath is so simple,
So mundane.
No wonder your mind gets distracted with all the glitter and excitement that it can conjure up.
So no need to get mad at the thoughts and the distractions.
Just sticking with your commitment to return to the breath.
Just coming back home.
As you continue to sit,
You might notice that your mind comes up with even clearer thoughts.
Important thoughts.
Just note them.
Note that this is an important plan or some kind of calculation.
And set it aside.
Just reminding yourself that this small period is devoted to practicing spaciousness,
Openness,
Slowness,
And again,
As you notice that your mind has wandered,
There's this temptation to reprimand yourself or to judge yourself.
This kind of rigid discipline.
No need for that.
Just soften back.
Back onto the breath.
It's right here.
No matter how many times you get distracted,
There's always an option to come back to your breath.
And you might notice some discomfort in your body,
Some desire to get out of this.
That's normal.
Notice the uprightness of your spine.
Even just that discipline of uprightness.
You are right here.
Sitting with integrity.
And noticing that.
It's a really powerful thing to do.
And final few moments of noticing your breath.
The rhythm.
The pacing of the breath.
The rising and falling of the breath.
And then gently start to notice the sounds that you hear around you.
No need to leave your seat as you do so.
Just allowing those sounds to come to you in your upright spine with this open attention.
They can't jostle you.
Just noticing them.
And then notice the air around you,
The spaciousness,
Openness around you.
And when you're ready,
You can blink open your eyes.
Look around the room.
Maybe take some shoulder rolls or some gentle stretches just to return to your body.
Returning to this room or environment that you're in.
And take a moment to reflect on the discipline that you just practiced without any judgment about whether it was good enough or clear enough,
Pristine enough.
There's no such thing here.
Thank yourself for committing to it.
And I appreciate your time and recognize your discipline.
We'll see you back here soon.
