Hello,
This is Ryan and welcome to 10 minutes of mindfulness.
For more detailed meditation instructions,
Please see my course,
Mindfulness Meditation Instructions,
The Basics.
But for now,
Let's go ahead and get started.
So begin by getting yourself into a comfortable posture and beginning to feel into that posture.
Where does the body contact your supporting surface?
If you're sitting on a chair,
Maybe feeling where your chair is in contact with your buttocks,
Noticing the details,
Noticing where the pressure is greater and where the pressure tapers off,
And eventually where the chair is no longer in contact with your buttocks.
Can you tune into all of these details with a kind of curiosity?
Maybe your feet are against the floor or your legs,
Noticing the sensations there,
The normal,
Natural sensations,
Not looking for anything,
Not trying to feel anything,
Just observing what's already here.
And as you feel ready,
Begin moving your attention to your abdomen.
Notice that your abdomen is not still,
Even though the rest of your body may be,
But as you breathe,
Your abdomen is in constant motion.
Expansion as you breathe in,
Contraction as you breathe out.
Can you also notice the details of the sensations of the movement of the abdomen?
How do you know your abdomen is moving?
Can you feel the skin of the abdominal wall stretching out?
Can you feel it relaxing back?
Maybe you notice the point above your navel.
At this point,
As you breathe in,
Moves away from your spine,
And then as you breathe out,
It comes back towards your spine.
Or maybe you feel the clothing gently brushing across the surface of your skin as your abdomen changes shape.
So whatever it is,
However you know the you're breathing,
As best you can,
Focusing your attention on those physical sensations.
Are you still there on the breath?
Or has your mind wandered away?
Remember,
It's normal and natural for us not to be able to keep our attention focused.
So don't worry about it if your mind has wandered.
Simply acknowledge it.
Notice whatever it is that grabbed your attention away,
And gently letting go as best you can,
And intentionally bringing your attention back,
Back to the abdomen,
Back to that expansion and contraction.
Not letting a single breath go by without your awareness of it.
And how about now?
Are you still focused on your breath,
Or has your mind again wandered away?
If your mind has wandered away,
Remembering again,
It's normal,
It's natural,
Letting go as best you can,
And coming back with that curious mind,
Curiously examining all of these details.
Where does my awareness of breath end?
Is it at the side body?
Is there movement in my lower back?
Can I feel movement above the abdomen?
So with curiosity,
Exploring these limits and using this interest in this important natural physical process,
This interest to keep your mind focused as best you can.
Inhaling,
Followed by exhaling,
Followed by inhaling,
Followed by exhaling.
As this cycle of breath continues,
Repeats,
However,
Every breath is different from the last.
No two breaths are identical.
With that curiosity,
Maybe it's possible for you to start to see what's different about each and every breath.
Maybe this breath is shallower than the last,
Or maybe it's deeper.
Maybe the inhalation is longer than the exhalation,
Or vice versa.
When you get distracted,
Do the thoughts that you're thinking have any effect on the pace of the breath,
The quality of the breath?
So each time,
Not dwelling on the thought,
Acknowledging it because it has already come,
Letting it go,
And then gently,
Intentionally bringing the attention back to the breath.
Congratulations,
You've made it through 10 minutes of mindfulness.
Maybe take a moment to congratulate yourself for doing this practice,
And ones like it regularly,
Is a way for you to take a more active role in your mental and your physical health.
So why not set some intention to keep practicing?
Now let's close our practice with three rings of the bell.
