Hello and welcome to this guided mindfulness meditation.
Before we begin,
Settle into a comfortable position.
This could be seated in a chair,
Laying down on your back,
Or seated on the floor.
Any position where you can allow your spine to lengthen and where you can breathe easily.
In this meditation,
The goal is not to achieve a mind free of thoughts,
But rather the goal is to practice and strengthen the ability to notice thoughts as they arise,
To acknowledge them,
And to let them go.
Cultivating this ability in our meditation can be so beneficial in day to day life when it comes to dealing with stress,
Worry,
And anxiety.
If we have this ability to notice those thoughts of worry,
Of anxiety,
To acknowledge them,
And then to detach from them and let them go,
Then those feelings can become much more manageable.
So we'll practice this today in our meditation.
As we begin,
Close your eyes and take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in through your nostrils,
Filling the chest and belly with air,
And then a long,
Slow exhale out through your nostrils,
Releasing all of the air from your lungs.
We'll take two more breaths like this.
Deep breath in through the nose,
And exhale out through the nose.
Deep breath in,
Slow breath out.
And then allow the breath to settle into its natural rhythm.
Bring your full attention to noticing each inhale as the air comes through your nostrils and travels down into your lungs,
And noticing each exhale as the air travels back up past your chest and throat and out through your nostrils.
Focus your full attention on the flow of your breath in and out.
You may begin to notice that the inhale is slightly different from the exhale.
Perhaps you notice the air feeling cool as it enters your nose,
And then warm as you breathe out.
As you continue to turn your attention inward,
Let go of the noises around you.
If you are distracted by noises,
Practice simply noticing them and then bringing your attention back to your breath in and out.
Simply breathe without trying to change or control your breath.
Just observing and accepting your breath as it is without judgment.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
If your mind wanders to thoughts,
Plans,
Or worries,
Simply notice that your mind has wandered.
Observe the thought without judgment as it enters into your awareness,
And then imagine the thought as if it were a leaf floating on the surface of a slow-moving river.
You notice as it approaches,
Watch it float by,
And then it floats away downstream and out of sight.
Practice letting go of that thought as it floats away downriver.
Returning again and again to your breath in and out.
Each thought that arises,
Place it onto a leaf and allow it to float away,
And return to your breath in and out.
Your breath is the anchor that you can return to over and over whenever you become distracted by thoughts.
When you notice your mind wandering,
Observe the types of thoughts that distract you,
Perhaps naming the thought,
Planning,
Remembering,
Or forgetting.
Notice and name the thought,
And you can strengthen your ability to detach from these types of thoughts.
And mindfully focus your awareness back to your breath.
Notice that your mind has wandered,
Notice the thought,
And then place that thought on a leaf and let it float downstream and out of sight.
Practice coming home to your breath with your full attention,
Noticing the rise of the inhale and the fall of the exhale.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
You may become distracted by sensations or discomfort in the body.
You may notice feelings arising,
Perhaps happiness or sadness,
Frustration or contentment.
Acknowledge whatever comes up.
Simply notice where your mind went without judging it.
Notice the thought without pushing it away or clinging to it,
Without wishing that it were different.
Simply observe the thoughts,
Sensations,
And feelings as they float away down the river and guide your attention back to your breath.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
On each breath,
Following the air all the way in and all the way out,
Staying mindfully present moment by moment with your breath.
If your mind wanders,
Notice without judgment and guide your awareness back to your breath.
In and out.
When you feel ready,
Begin to bring your awareness back into the room.
Allow your attention to expand,
Noticing the sensations of your body,
Perhaps noticing the texture of any fabric against your skin,
Noticing the surface beneath you supporting your body,
Noticing any sounds in the room that you're in,
And then expanding to sounds in the building that you're in,
And then noticing sounds outside your window.
And then bring gentle movement to the body,
Wiggling your fingers and your toes.
Rotate your wrists and your ankles.
And when you're ready,
Slowly open the eyes.
