This is a practice you can do anytime you feel distracted or anxious from expectations or judgments.
Doing this before bed can help you to fall into a deep,
Relaxing sleep with a calm mind and an open heart.
Let's take a deep breath.
Just noting any sensations in the body.
Feeling the weight of gravity pulling you down against the mattress,
The chair,
Or whatever is supporting the body right now.
Now allowing the breath to simply come back to its natural rhythm.
Allow your attention to settle on the breath.
Just letting awareness focus on the breath at whatever point in the body you feel it most.
The nose,
The chest,
Or maybe the belly.
And if you get lost in thought at any point during the meditation,
You can always simply bring your awareness back to the breath.
Feeling into the sensations in the body,
Do you notice a particular area that is tense or contracted?
For me,
Especially when my expectations are influencing my sense of self,
I tend to feel it in the back of my neck or in my abdomen.
See if you can sense into where you notice expectations in your body.
And if you don't notice anything,
That's just fine.
Simply allow your attention to gently move from your head to your feet,
Just allowing the body to relax as you go.
If you do notice some tension,
Or feel a sense of where expectations you have about yourself or your life might be in the body,
Gently bring your attention there.
Just bringing a caring awareness to that part of you,
Seeing if you can sense into the subtleties of the experience.
What do you notice about that part of the body?
What kind of sensations do you notice?
Let yourself get curious.
Are they pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral?
Allow yourself to gently explore these sensations and see what you find.
Do you notice any thoughts coming up?
Does your mind wander toward the expectations,
The judgments?
Or maybe you feel a sense of compassion for yourself,
For the being who is doing the best they can to move through the world.
There's no right answer.
We're simply spending a moment sensing into our experience in the body and noticing any thoughts that may be in the mind.
Not pushing anything away.
Not clinging to anything.
Just accepting what is.
If you do happen to notice any judgments or expectations in the mind,
Can you label them as thoughts without getting distracted by their contents?
If not,
That's okay.
Simply bring your attention back to the breath if you find yourself lost in thought at any point.
Can you release those thoughts?
Release those expectations,
Judgments,
And simply allow them to do what all things do?
Arise and fall away,
Knowing that the thoughts are not you.
You are the one who was there before the thoughts,
In between the thoughts.
And you will be there after the thoughts have faded away.
Thoughts are like reflections.
They aren't reality,
But they can sometimes feel that way.
When we can release our thoughts and not cling to them,
We can find equanimity and peace and a connection to our own silent voice of inner wisdom.
Just spending a moment,
Noting the sensations in the body and any thoughts that may appear in the mind.
Any time during the day that you find yourself lost in thought,
You can take a moment and just note the sensations in the body and any thoughts that may be appearing in the mind,
Simply labeling and releasing them,
Watching them as they fade away again.
Now bring an image of yourself into your mind,
Along with the feeling that you are deserving of compassion,
Just like everyone else in the world.
Go ahead and connect with that sense of caring for yourself.
And silently,
You can say these phrases of compassion for yourself.
May I be happy and peaceful.
May I be healthy and strong.
May I feel safe and protected.
May I live with ease and well-being.
Just notice how it feels to wish this kindness toward yourself.
Notice if it feels easy or maybe uncomfortable.
Just connecting with that sense of wishing yourself a happy life.
I care for myself.
May I have a happy life.
May I have a life of health.
May I feel safe.
And may I live with ease.
Just allowing yourself to feel these things,
But not cling to them.
Let them fade away as you allow yourself to settle in to stillness.
Allowing the mind to come to rest.
Allowing the body to come to rest.
Allowing the mind to come to rest.
Allowing the mind to come to rest.
Allowing the mind to come to rest.
Allowing the mind to come to rest.
Allowing the mind to come to rest.
Allowing the mind to come to rest.
Allowing the mind to come to rest.
Allowing the mind to come to rest.
