Let me invite you to partake in this mindful exploration of your thoughts.
Allow yourself to keep an open and curious mind as I guide you in taking a closer look at the inner workings of your mind.
Settle yourself into a comfortable position that will allow you to have a sense of dignity and self-respect.
You can sit,
Stand or even lay down.
I encourage you to use your body as your guide.
Which position will allow you to be relatively relaxed but alert for the next 15 minutes or so?
After you orient yourself and your surroundings,
You can choose to close your eyes,
Keep them open or anywhere in between as long as it allows you to stay engaged with this practice.
Take a couple of deliberately fuller breaths than usual and allow your body to breathe as it wants,
However it wants.
Note where in your body you feel this breathing the easiest.
Notice if there is a sense of slight let go or settling as air comes in and out of your body.
Can you notice a particular rhythm to this breath?
Now turn your attention to the area where your body touching whatever supporting surface it is resting on.
Can you feel a slight pressure of your weight?
Where can you feel the contact the most?
As you turn your attention to your body,
Is there any area that's asking for your attention?
Maybe you sense some tension or even pain?
Is there any pulling or tingling?
Or maybe there is area of numbness?
Whatever it is,
You can choose to either breathe into it or simply give it a kind acknowledgement as in oh,
Hi there,
I see you.
Remember what happens to it as you hold it gently here.
Now,
You can return your attention to the breathing and see if you can rest your full attention in it for the next three breaths or so.
And as you rest in the presence of your breath and body,
See if you can notice any sounds arising and passing.
You can also choose to use the sound vibration of my voice to connect you to the present moment,
When you find yourself wandering away.
How is your body feeling right now?
Perhaps you can feel your body starting to feel a bit more grounded,
Maybe your awareness a little more heightened,
Or maybe you notice something completely different.
To know what's present and let the awareness be spacious and easy without any judgment.
Just as you practice noticing subtle aspects of different sensory anchors that ground us into the present moment,
Let's experiment if you can observe your thoughts with the same curiosity and kind attention.
Now turn your full attention to your thoughts.
At first they may get scattered as they are not used to be acknowledged so directly.
Keep it some space and rest in your awareness of the breath or the body first.
It shouldn't take long for thoughts to reveal themselves to you.
They may come as words,
Pictures,
Movies.
What makes you notice them?
How do you know you are thinking?
And just as you did with the body sensation in Hi There,
I See You,
You can greet your thought with a kind and non-judging awareness by softly naming it Planning or Remembering or perhaps even more simply Thinking.
And each time you notice a thought,
Return your attention to whichever way is easiest for you to be grounded to the present moment.
It can be the breath or sense of your feet touching the surface underneath or it can be sound.
Rest there till you notice the next thought coming to carry you away.
Sometimes,
Observing your thoughts can be likened to seeing a waterfall.
Instead of standing directly under the water rushing over your head,
I invite you to mentally take a step back from the falling water and observe your thoughts coming and going as from the safe distance.
Scientists can Number One!
Can be likened to the clouds passing through the vast sky.
Some can feel light and fluffy,
And some can feel dark and heavy,
With tendency to linger like rain clouds.
Either way,
They are just clouds.
Just like thoughts are just thoughts.
As you find yourself wondering,
Can you notice how you experience in your thoughts?
What happens to them as you meet them with the kind awareness?
Sometimes you can catch the very moment when your thought disappears,
Just like the thin cloud melts into the sky as it gets kissed by the sun.
And as you watch your thoughts dissolve,
Simply return to the sense of presence in here and now.
Can you see your thoughts as they start to form?
Do you catch it mid-flight?
Or perhaps you come to the awareness after you were carried away by it for a while.
Whichever it is,
It is helpful to remind yourself that it's not about how often you go away or how long you stay.
It is the moments of you coming back to the present that counts.
That is where you have a choice.
You can either continue to be lost in thought or to come back to be fully present in the now.
As you are bringing this new awareness to your mind's inner working,
I would encourage you to be patient and kind with yourself.
Remember,
The goal is not to empty your head of thoughts.
It is to simply increase the capacity to see the life unfolding as it is in real time.
See if you can rest in that felt cells of awareness.
Notice in the thoughts come and go,
Sounds come and go,
Breath coming in and out.
And as this meditation come into a close,
Take this opportunity to take a few deeper breaths and when you are ready,
Kindly prepare your body for a transition out of this meditation.
You can gently move in it and blink your eyes open if you closed them earlier.
Thank you for your kind time and presence.
I wish you well.
