Hello,
My name is Rachel Tenenbaum,
And I'll be guiding you through your meditation today.
Stress and anxiety are often normal parts of our days,
And yet they can overtake our minds and our bodies.
They have us toggling between the past and the future,
But never land us in the present moment with what is.
In the moments when we feel out of sorts or lost in ruminating thoughts,
This short and simple practice based on an awareness of how the brain works,
A practice which is time tested is something you can use every day,
At any moment when you need it most,
Or when you just want to get grounded.
As a note,
We'll be attending to each of your five senses.
Our senses live in the present moment,
And by engaging each and every sense,
We activate multiple regions of our brain along with what's called the direct experience network.
This pulls you out of stress and into the present moment.
We'll begin this meditation by closing our eyes and then shift into an open-eyed practice as we draw you further into the present moment so that you can step seamlessly and mindfully into the rest of your day.
So if you haven't already done so,
Go ahead and close your eyes.
Begin to deepen your breath.
Begin to rest your attention on your in-breath and on your out-breath.
And as you inhale and breathe in,
Feel the ribs expanding to welcome the breath.
And as you exhale out,
Setting the intention to let go of any tension,
Any dis-ease in the body and in the mind.
Inhale,
Breathe in,
Fill up.
And as if you were blowing out candles,
Letting it go.
Again,
Inhale,
Breathe in,
Fill up.
And again,
Slowly expiring that air from your body as you blow it out.
Last one,
Just like that.
Inhale,
Breathing in,
Feeling the ribs expanding,
Lungs expanding.
And then softening along the length of the exhale.
As you continue to rest your attention on your breath,
Take a moment to get present to your body,
To feel the body that is either sitting,
Standing,
Or even perhaps lying down.
Then bring your attention,
Your awareness to the support of whatever it is that rests beneath you,
The floor,
A chair,
A bed.
And notice how it gently presses up and how it holds you.
This moment,
There's nothing for you to do but to feel its support.
As you continue to breathe,
To feel your body,
To feel the support,
We'll be shifting into that open eyed portion of the meditation.
And so when you are ready,
Gently open your eyes.
As you settle into your surroundings,
Begin to look around and then quietly name five things that you can see with a single descriptor such as the white couch or the wood floor.
That visual descriptor can be a color or a texture that you see.
Now name four things that you can touch and touch them and feel them as you do.
Might be the soft couch,
Scratchy cotton,
Whatever's there for you.
Now name three things that you can hear.
You might be surprised by what comes into your auditory awareness.
I'll get quiet so that you can listen.
Now name two things that you can smell.
And now name one thing that you can taste.
You might have to lick your lips.
Now take a moment to notice how you feel and to notice what's different.
What feels different in your body and in your mind.
Know that this meditation is always here to support you,
To ground you whenever you need,
Whenever you desire.
Thank you for sharing your time with me.
Wishing you a gorgeous rest of your day.
Namaste.
