A Simple Practice - Noticing & Labelling

Today we're exploring another simple practice,

Whether you're just feeling a little out of sorts,

Or you're new to meditation and want to figure out which methods work best for you.

This practice is all about noticing.

So when you're ready,

Get yourself into a comfortable position as always.

Feel your feet on the floor,

Allow your shoulders to drop down,

Find a smile on your face and close your eyes.

Take a few deep breaths in with me now,

Breathing in through the nose and out through the nose.

In through the nose and out through the nose.

And one last deep grounding breath here with me.

In through the nose and out through the nose.

Now allow your breath just to return to its natural rhythm.

And see if you can concentrate on it,

See if you can feel the rhythm of your breath without changing it.

And as soon as your mind starts to wander,

We can start our noticing practice.

So as your mind drifts off into what you're going to have for dinner tonight,

Notice that you're thinking and just say thinking.

As you get distracted by a sound,

If it's the birds outside,

Notice that you're hearing,

Say hearing.

And then come back to the breath.

As you get pulled away again,

Just notice and say thinking,

Hearing,

Feeling or even moving.

Just label what you're noticing you're doing and come back to the breath.

This practice gets easier with time as you build your strength in meditation.

So don't belittle yourself if you find it hard and you're constantly noticing.

That's okay.

Just notice and come back to the breath.

Do it a hundred times,

You've done a hundred sit-ups for your mind.

Do it twenty times,

Just a bit stronger and you're only doing twenty sit-ups and that's okay.

This isn't about how often you notice but that you notice and you come back to the breath.

Thinking,

Hearing,

Moving,

Feeling,

Noticing.

Amazing.

Well done for a really dedicated practice.

I wish you a wonderful rest of your day and I look forward to seeing you back here soon for another simple practice.