Welcome to this seated practice from the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course.
So coming to a comfortable position,
A position where you can be both dignified and awake,
But also comfortable whether you're choosing to sit on a chair,
A stool,
Or perhaps a cushion or a mat.
Just bringing yourself to sitting now and if you are choosing to sit on a chair,
Perhaps just bringing your back away so that it's self-supporting.
Bringing with you a sense of purpose,
Attentiveness,
But also ensuring a posture that allows kindness and compassion towards yourself and your body.
So not needing to be sat rigidly or sat in any way that doesn't best support your own body,
But finding this position now and just bringing yourself to stillness,
To a comfortable wakefulness.
Perhaps taking a moment just to raise your shoulders gently up towards your ears,
Let them fall back down,
Allowing a straightness in your spine but not stiffness or rigidity.
Taking a moment perhaps just to rest your hands on your lap or on your knees.
Again,
Choosing a comfortable position where your arms can rest,
The weight of them supported.
Just easing in now to this practice.
And as we sit here,
Drawing your attention towards your own breathing,
Allowing your breath to gently flow in and out of your body and allowing your attention to rest here.
This gentle rhythm of your breathing,
The ebb and flow of each new breath in and each new breath out.
Noting the rise and fall perhaps in your shoulders and in your chest with each breath.
Or maybe the sensation of lifting and releasing in your abdomen,
The feeling of the air perhaps on the tip of your nose.
Resting your attention on these felt sensations of your breathing,
Anchoring you to this moment,
To this practice.
Simply observing how it is to be breathing.
Noting the depth perhaps of your breathing.
Just kindly observing is it shallow or is it deep?
Becoming curious about the rhythm of your breathing.
Is it regular?
Is it fast?
Is it slow?
Is it possible to draw your attention to that moment just between an in-breath and an out-breath,
That subtle pause before you begin this magical process once again.
And at times our breath may not be the kindest anchor for us in this moment.
And if that's the case,
Tuning in to your own wisdom and perhaps choosing another anchor,
Maybe the weight of your body as you sit here,
Those points of contact with your body and the floor or the chair or stool beneath you.
Seeing if it's possible to rest your attention with your chosen anchor and inviting curiosity here.
How would it be to return your attention to your breathing?
Or would it be more nurturing to rest with another anchor?
And if you are using your breathing as your anchor in this moment,
Perhaps exploring this rise,
This fall.
How is it to breathe in?
Are you aware of the shifting sensation of fabric against your skin?
Noticing maybe this subtle movement as you breathe in and out and your clothes move gently across your skin.
Not needing to change or force your breathing in any way,
Simply resting your attention on your own breath.
And when you find that it's gone elsewhere,
Maybe thoughts of your day ahead or plans you have to make or memories of things happened,
Just note where it's gone,
All the thinking,
Planning,
And then gently but purposefully leading your attention back to your chosen anchor,
To the rhythm of your breath.
Just this breath.
Knowing that it doesn't matter if it's the first or one hundredth time that your mind wanders.
The most important moment is the next one.
Directing your attention back towards your breathing,
Mindfully aware,
Purposefully choosing to direct your attention towards your breathing and resting in this awareness.
Rest your forces.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
And if that's the case.
.
.
.
.
.
Seeing if it's possible to.
.
.
.
.
.
To hold these sensations in.
.
.
.
.
.
In mindful awareness.
.
.
.
.
.
How would it be to notice them?
.
.
.
Noticing perhaps the tone or the flavour of the discomfort.
.
.
.
.
.
Is it sharp or dull?
.
.
.
Is it constant or does it change?
.
.
.
Allowing your breath to support you here even.
.
.
.
.
.
Breathing alongside these difficult sensations.
.
.
.
.
.
Cradling them in gentle awareness?
.
.
.
Or is it a.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Allowing yourself as well the choice to mindfully change posture if this feels like the most nourishing,
Most nurturing choice in this moment.
And if it does then noticing the intention to move itself.
Holding your awareness throughout the process of changing posture.
From noticing the intention to the act of moving itself.
And finally to resting your awareness in the after effects,
Sensations of release perhaps,
Relaxation letting go,
Settling into a new posture.
Tuning into whatever is here in your body.
Working with sensations.
Leaning into them,
Sensing into them.
But knowing as well you have the choice to come away from them,
To let your attention rest somewhere else in your body perhaps.
And then exploring how it would be to return,
To come back to a difficult sensation.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Breathing into the whole of your body.
And breathing out,
Letting go of awareness in your body and allowing your attention now to rest with sound.
Not needing to go out and seek any sounds.
Just noticing whatever is around you and the space that you're practicing.
And if you're wearing headphones,
Just seeing how it would be just to release one headphone,
To let one ear be free.
Tuning into the sounds around you.
The sounds of my voice,
The room around you,
The wider world,
Perhaps other people in the building you're in or sounds outside the windows.
Simply receiving the experience of sound without needing to make sense of it in any way.
Are they loud or quiet sounds?
Are they unique or repetitive?
Do they come to you as pleasant sounds?
Unpleasant sounds?
Unneutral,
Perhaps?
Exploring the pitch,
The tone,
The rhythm even of the sounds around you.
And noting as well any thoughts or emotions that arrive with sounds.
Seeing if it's possible perhaps to draw your attention even to the silence between the sounds.
That space.
What's there?
For you in that moment.
Often sounds can bring with them a great number of thoughts or emotions,
Frustrations,
Curiosity.
And if that's the case,
Allowing these to be the focus point of your attention.
Seeing if it's possible to notice your thoughts,
Your emotions now,
To draw your attention purposefully to the experience of thoughts.
Letting go now of sounds and instead purposefully drawing your attention towards thoughts.
Becoming aware of your thoughts and your emotions just like we're aware of the clouds in the sky.
Observing them just as objects in the field of our experience.
Observing them come and go just as the clouds in the sky do.
Not trying to make the thoughts or emotions go away.
Simply acknowledging its presence and its effects as if it was just another cloud drifting by.
Sometimes a clear blue day.
Sometimes a little more stormy.
Simply noticing.
Observing.
And if you find yourself drifting into thoughts,
Drifting into stories or plans,
Just noting that.
Unnoting as well perhaps anything that's shown up in your body.
Often if we find ourselves lost in a challenging thought,
Difficult emotion,
We can sense into it in our bodies.
We can sense attention in the jaws perhaps or tightness in the shoulders.
And then coming back and resting your attention on your thoughts.
And it may well be that as you draw your attention purposefully towards your thoughts,
They suddenly disappear.
And if that's the case,
Just noting how this is.
The absence of thought,
The spaciousness.
Knowing yourself to be the observer of your thoughts.
What's here for you now in this moment?
What's the tone of your thoughts?
The speed of them?
More emotions showing up in this moment?
Is there a constant flow of thoughts and emotions or does it ebb and flow?
Tuning into,
Sensing into and observing your thoughts and how they're showing up for you now in this moment.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Letting go now of thoughts,
Of emotions.
Letting go of any anger.
And for the last part of this practice,
Just resting in open awareness.
Simply observing whatever shows up for you.
It might be your breath,
Physical sensations in your body.
Or it might be awareness of your thoughts,
Your emotions.
And allowing now your awareness to open out to the experience of this moment just as it is.
To noting your experience just as you are.
And tuning into whatever is here for you.
Whatever shows up.
Letting it go.
Continue here the sound of the bowl.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
Letting go.
