Hi,
My name is Rachel and today we are going to meditate to present moment awareness.
Staying with our surroundings inside and outside.
So you can take a seated position,
Getting comfortable,
Make any necessary movements and just start to notice your surroundings.
Maybe there are sounds you can detect,
Maybe there are sounds in the distance.
Try to notice the silence behind the sounds.
Take note of any objects or colors that stick out to you,
Just noting them.
And whenever you feel ready,
You can gently close your eyes.
Coming in touch with your breath,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Breathing in,
I am calm and breathing out,
I am grounded.
Seeing the rise and fall of the inhale and exhale.
Maybe becoming aware of any body parts that are involved in the breathing process.
Your shoulders moving up and down,
Your stomach rising and falling,
Your chest going in and out.
Notice the area between your nostril and upper lip.
What is that air like,
Is it cool,
Is it warm?
Just notice.
As your awareness stays with the breath,
Start to notice your whole body here.
Maybe areas of contact between you and the surface below.
Maybe noticing where your hands are placed,
Where your feet are placed,
And gravity giving a slight pull downward,
Grounding you even more.
Notice your whole body present here and now.
There is nowhere to be,
Nothing to do.
Just be here.
So just as we are noticing all of our body parts here and now,
And noticing our breath with the rise and fall,
We are just going to start noticing thoughts and emotions as they enter in and subside.
Just noting them as thinking mind or as feeling or emotion and then returning back to the breath with the inhale and exhale.
Each time your mind takes you away,
Notice was it thinking,
Was it feeling,
Was it emotion and label it and return to the breath.
The breath is our constant anchor.
Anytime we get caught up in thoughts or emotions,
Not pushing anything away,
Just watching,
Observing and returning to the breath.
Seeing the rise and fall of the stomach or chest.
Keep labeling thoughts,
Emotions,
Feelings,
Keep labeling them and return to the breath.
If there is an impatient thought that enters your mind,
That's okay.
The more we practice,
The easier this will become.
And it's extremely important to be kind to ourselves as we keep practicing.
So if an impatient thought comes in,
Just note it just like every other thought,
Observing it and letting it go.
If there's a restless thought,
That's okay.
No need to get caught up in it.
Just observe it and let it go and return to the breath.
We are not our thoughts.
Our thoughts come from us,
But they do not own us.
We can observe our thoughts at any given moment.
As we begin to end this practice,
I want to remind you that you can always return back to the space anytime,
Anywhere.
You can begin to notice any sounds in the room that you are in,
Any sounds that are further away.
You can notice any smell,
Maybe there's colors or objects that you can see through your eyes closed.
You can notice where your hands are placed,
Your weight on the surface below you.
You can start to make any movements that feel comfortable for you.
Maybe a stretch,
Wiggling your fingers or toes.
And whenever you feel ready,
You can gently open your eyes,
Returning to your surroundings.
Thank you for joining me here today.
