This mindfulness practice helps to bring us here into our body in this moment.
We call it a grounding meditation.
This won't be long,
Just about five minutes.
So I invite you to find a comfortable posture with both feet on the floor,
Allowing the eyes to close gently if that feels okay,
Or just lowering your gaze.
Now bringing attention into the areas of contact that your feet are having with the floor,
And feeling into your feet.
Noticing the solid ground under your feet.
Maybe feeling where your shoes or socks are in contact with your feet.
Now moving on to the thighs and the buttocks,
And noticing where they have contact with the chair or the cushion.
Just allowing the ground and the chair to hold and support your body without you needing to do anything at all.
Now moving the attention to your back.
Where does your back touch the back of the chair?
Can you feel the difference between where there is contact and where there is none?
And if your back is not resting on the chair,
Can you sense the feeling of any fabric touching your skin?
Now moving the attention to your hands,
Feeling into your hands.
Maybe noticing the position of your hands.
Maybe noticing what they are touching.
Perhaps the chair,
Your thighs,
Or maybe each other.
You could even ask yourself,
How do I know I have hands without looking?
You know,
Right?
We can feel the hands from the inside out.
Now opening the awareness,
Feeling your entire body sitting here in this moment,
On this chair.
And then for the last minute or so of our short meditation,
Bringing the attention to the breath.
If you like,
You can make the next couple of breaths a little bit deeper so you can really feel the breath.
Ask yourself where you feel it the most or where the sensations are the most pleasant.
At the nostrils where the air comes in,
At the back of your throat,
In your chest,
Or maybe in your belly.
Using that place as the anchor for your attention.
This is where you come back to over and over,
Whenever the mind wanders off.
Now letting go of any deepening or lengthening you've done with the breath.
Allow the breath to just breathe itself.
No need to make it any other way than it wants to be.
And when you notice your attention is somewhere else,
Gently bring it back to the breath.
Now wiggling fingers and toes.
Gently opening the eyes.
And returning.
