Hi,
My name is Amber and today's meditation is for getting cozy.
For many of us the weather is getting colder,
The days are getting shorter,
And we're pulling our thick sweaters out of storage.
For today's meditation we'll be practicing focused meditation,
Which means you'll need some kind of object to focus on.
I suggest having a hot cup of coffee or tea or maybe a blanket or a sweatshirt,
Anything that you can hold in your hands.
And if you don't have an object nearby,
You can always use your breath,
Perhaps the feeling of your hands in your lap,
Or the bottoms of the feet against the ground.
Alright,
To get started come to a comfortable supported position.
Let's take a few minutes to get settled into the body here.
Let anything that is not relaxation or comfort melt away from the body.
Let any stress you may be experiencing fall away let any worry or feelings of ambition drip off the shoulders.
Allow the muscles of the face to fall,
Perhaps the jaw drops and the teeth part slightly.
Allow your breath to naturally slow down as you settle into the physical space where you are.
Now shift your focus to your object of choice today.
I have this lovely wool scarf which I've had for several years now and will continue to wear for many winters to come.
And just hold the object in your hands and see what you notice about it.
What are some of its characteristics?
Perhaps you'll start with what you can notice visually,
The color,
The shape,
The way the light reflects off of it.
And I encourage you to really examine it.
Maybe you hold it up close to your eyes.
Perhaps that helps you notice some small details that you didn't notice before.
Or simply see the object from a different perspective.
And turning it over in your hand,
Notice the texture of the object,
The feeling of it in your hand,
The feeling of the weight as you hold it.
If you have a cup of coffee or tea,
Maybe you notice the temperature of the mug warming up your hand.
Does the object feel different on the top rather than the bottom?
What about side to side?
And now hold the object up to your ear.
Maybe you run your finger or your nail against the object.
What can you hear?
And holding the object up to your nose,
What do you smell?
And lastly,
Bring the target of your focus to your lips.
If you're like me with a scarf or a blanket,
Gently rub the fabric on your lips or your cheek and feel the texture of it.
If you have a cup of tea,
Perhaps you take a sip.
And when you're ready,
Set the object aside for now and widen the scope of your attention to your whole body.
Notice the sensations that you feel from the bottom of your feet,
Up through your legs,
What feelings are present in the torso,
The shoulders,
The arms,
The spine,
The neck,
And the head.
Widening your attention to now include the entire body.
And now expand your focus even further now to include the entire room where you are.
To do this,
You may need to look around,
Up and down,
Side to side.
Notice all the objects in the room,
How the light is coming in from a window or from a lamp.
So often we sit focused on our computers or our phones and we forget how important it is to pause and really experience the time and place where we are right now.
I encourage you to keep practicing this,
Pausing even for a brief moment every once in a while,
And really notice what's going on around you.
Thank you for meditating with me today,
And I'll see you again next time.
