Hello,
Welcome.
Let's begin by settling into an alert but comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down,
Whatever is more comfortable for you.
Close the eyes.
And let's go ahead and take three deep breaths.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Inhale.
Exhale.
And one more time.
Inhale and exhale.
Now allow the breath to resume its natural rhythm.
And now we're going to consciously do something.
We are going to leave judgment off to the side just for now.
Say to yourself,
I am leaving my judgment behind for now.
I choose to leave it behind.
I have permission to leave it behind now.
Just take whatever judgment,
Any criticism,
And set it aside.
And now say silently to yourself,
I am taking my curiosity for a short journey with me.
I choose to take it with me.
I have permission to be curious right now.
And that's exactly what we're going to do here.
We're going to leave behind any judgment and take along with us some curiosity.
So pair up your curiosity with your awareness and attention.
And let's go ahead and start where you feel the breath the most,
Whether that be at the tip of the nose,
The middle of the chest,
Maybe in the belly.
Just choosing a place where you feel the breath the most and center your awareness around this area.
And once you have that,
It has 100% of your attention,
Little by little begin to expand your awareness from this spot slowly and gently until it encompasses your entire body.
Taking your time.
And you are fully aware of the front,
The back,
All the way at the top of your head and down to the bottom of your feet.
With a touch of curiosity,
Ask yourself,
How does this body feel right now?
You may answer this question by exploring whatever position you are in right now.
Notice the support of the surface beneath,
How it holds you up,
How it supports you.
Take note of any small details like the sensation of your clothing against your skin,
The temperature of the surrounding environment.
If there is one,
Notice the breeze,
How that feels crossing over your body,
Or maybe even the lack of one,
How there isn't really any movement in the air right now.
Again,
Avoiding any tendency to judge or even analyze and just noticing,
Even naming whatever it is you feel,
Whatever it is you sense.
This could even include the sounds that come to you or the smells that happen to be in the area around you.
Just noticing,
Just observing.
And now we're going to take this just a bit deeper.
Sense any tightness or looseness of the muscles.
Feel the pulsing of the blood as it rushes through the body.
Observe any pain,
Any tension,
Any discomfort,
Anything that feels neutral.
Even take note of those spots that are quite comfortable.
Just allow yourself to be curious and see what this is like.
What is this?
What's here right now?
Leaving any judgment behind,
Just exploring.
Now if any judging thoughts,
Any criticisms,
Any critiques do arise,
Just recognize,
Maybe even naming,
Analyzing,
Judging,
Criticizing,
Whatever it may be.
Just recognize that that's what's going on right now and gently let it go.
You may even say to yourself once again,
I'm leaving my judgment behind for now.
I choose to leave it behind and I have permission to leave it behind for now.
Just set it aside,
Gently let it go,
And return to your observation of this body.
You may find that as you are sitting here,
As you're practicing this mindfulness,
There are going to be things that you dislike and you would like to change.
You may also find things that you really enjoy and are kind of grasping,
Wishing that it would stay like this forever.
Either way,
Or maybe if there's something in between,
We're just going to allow them to be as they are.
Let this moment remain just as it is.
If you notice it changing little by little or pretty quickly,
Just allow it to change.
Allow it to be.
Letting it all just be.
You can even say to yourself,
It's okay.
This is allowed.
This can be here for now.
I choose to let this be.
I give myself permission to let this be.
It's okay.
This is allowed.
This can be here for now.
I choose to let this be.
I give myself permission to let this be.
As you simply allow and let this moment and this body be just as they are,
Continue exploring your present experience.
How has it changed in the last few moments?
Something interesting to note about this type of practice is that by allowing and letting your circumstances be just as they are in this manner,
You're actually giving your body permission to relax.
Now this is because resisting through judgment and through analysis,
By trying to change what is going on right now,
This actually triggers a fight or flight response in the body.
You are ready to fight whatever it may be that threatens your peace and comfort,
Even if it's something like the shape of your figure.
That increases your heart rate.
It tightens your muscles and it releases stress hormones throughout the body,
Even to a small degree.
By allowing the way you're doing so right now,
You're telling the body that there is no threat,
That it's safe,
And so it relaxes.
And this allows the body to rest and take care of itself just as it should.
By routing the blood to all the areas of the body,
By breaking food into nutrients so that it can fuel every tiny cell,
And allowing cells in the brain to grow and thrive properly.
Go ahead and recognize that you really are giving yourself a gift.
You're doing so much good for yourself by being mindful and being present right here,
Right now.
Continue granting yourself this healthy,
Nurturing gift by continuing to be curious about this present experience and allowing it to simply be just as it is.
And now go ahead and take a mental step back and allow yourself to rest in this stillness.
Let this moment cradle you,
Hold you,
Support you.
Breathe deeply into this body.
Breathe in and absorb this present moment.
Now as we come to the end of this meditation,
Begin to recollect that awareness of your entire body and slowly shrink it back down to the spot where you feel the breath the most.
Calling back that curious,
Mindful awareness away from the rest of the body and concentrating it right back in that one spot.
And now begin to welcome some movement back into your body,
Stretching out the arms,
The legs,
Rotating the head gently from side to side.
And when you feel ready to do so,
Invite the eyes to open.
Remember this time of mindfulness and make an intention for yourself to carry it with you,
Even to a small degree,
Throughout the rest of your day.
I think you'd be surprised how much it can change what's going on in your day.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for giving this time to yourself.
And enjoy the rest of your day.
