Mindfulness Meditations,
Guided by Una Keeley.
MBSOR Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Instructor MBSOR Meditation Part 1 and 2 Awareness of Posture,
Breath,
Body and Sensations Choosing a time and a place where you'll be warm and comfortable and arranging things so that you won't be disturbed as you practice.
Acknowledging now that you are choosing to give yourself this time to support your health and nurture your wellbeing.
Taking this opportunity now to settle into the posture in which you will practice this guided meditation.
You may like to throw a fleece or something light around your shoulders if this feels comfortable for you.
Allowing this to be a time in which we set aside the usual mode in which we operate.
That of more or less constant doing.
And switching now to a mode of non-doing.
Of simply being.
Adjusting the body so it allows you to be upright and dignified.
Embodying quality of alert wakefulness.
Whatever that might mean for you in your body in this moment.
Taking some time now to settle into the posture that is right for you.
Making the subtle or perhaps not so subtle adjustments needed.
Finding the position that allows the greatest degree of stability and stillness.
Finding the posture that allows breathing to happen with the least amount of effort or difficulty.
Sitting upright but not stiff.
Embodying a sense of kindness for ourselves within the posture.
Having a sense perhaps of the shoulders balanced comfortably above the hips.
And the head balanced comfortably over the shoulders.
And allowing the hands to settle in the lap.
Gently resting the palms facing either up or down.
Or perhaps you might like to put them together.
One inside the other.
Palms facing upwards.
Allowing the shoulders to relax now and to drop slightly.
Inhabiting this posture.
Allowing a growing sense of stillness and stability.
And embodying a quality of alert attention.
Letting go now of any sense of tightness and tension.
Allowing the body to soften and to just breathe.
Noticing that breathing is happening now in this moment.
Feeling the natural flow of the breath from the inside.
Letting go of any need to alter or to change the breath in any way.
Just noticing where you feel the breath in your body moment by moment.
It might be in the abdomen.
Maybe in the chest area.
Or perhaps in the throat.
Or perhaps you may be noticing the sensation in the nostrils.
See if you can feel the sensation of your breath.
One breath at a time.
Noticing the continuous flow of when one breath ends and the next breath begins.
Simply being with your breathing.
Not trying to do anything.
Not trying to get any place.
Simply being with breathing.
Giving full care and full attention to each breath.
Each in-breath and each out-breath as they follow one after each other.
Now as you do this you might notice the mind starting to wander off into thoughts.
Fantasies.
Anticipations of the future.
Worrying.
Perhaps thoughts of the past.
Memories.
When we notice this has happened.
Practicing acknowledging where the mind has gone.
And then gently returning the attention back to the breath.
And allowing the breath to be the anchor for our attention.
When you notice your attention has wandered and is no longer focused on your breathing.
Practicing being kind with yourself.
And acknowledging to yourself this is not a problem.
This is very natural.
You can perhaps practice saying thinking thinking or wandering wandering softly to yourself.
As a way of acknowledging this.
And then gently redirect your attention back to the breathing.
The wandering away of the mind and the refocusing on the breath is the practice.
Noticing our breathing breath by breath.
The in-breath and the out-breath.
Allowing our attention to follow the breath moment by moment.
Staying with each breath from time to time getting lost in thought.
And returning again and again to our breath.
Being kind with ourselves each time we notice the mind has wandered.
So we'll stay with this for a short while in silence.
Using your awareness of breathing and using your breath as an anchor.
To refocus your attention.
Allowing it to bring you back into the present moment whenever you notice your mind is moving out of the present.
Becoming absorbed or preoccupied or reactive.
Allowing the breath to keep you tuned to a state of relaxed awareness and stillness.
Allowing your breath now to expand.
Feeling your whole body.
Feeling it now from the head to the toes as you become aware of all sensations in your body.
Becoming aware now of the body sitting here.
Allowing the surface you are sitting on to take your weight and to support you in this practice.
Becoming aware of where the body meets with this surface.
Noticing the sensation of this surface underneath you.
Holding you.
Supporting you.
Bringing awareness now to the contact points between the body and this surface.
Becoming aware of the sensations around these points of contact.
Maybe noticing a sense of heat or slight pressure.
Just seeing what's here for you now.
And now bringing awareness to the feet.
Noticing where the feet come in contact with the floor.
Allowing the floor to support you and to offer stability to this posture as you practice.
Noticing now how your awareness is holding within it not only the flow of breathing but also the body as a whole.
Being aware now of your body sitting,
Breathing here now.
Now as you observe your breathing and allow sensations from your body to come into the field of your awareness.
Inviting whatever sensations are here to be here without judging them.
Just allowing them to be.
Embodying a sense of kindness towards them.
Moment by moment.
At times you may notice some sensations of discomfort or agitation.
And as you maintain the awareness of your breathing,
Practicing being with these sensations.
Noticing any impulse to react to sensations.
And taking this opportunity to stay present with whatever is here.
Allowing sensations just to be.
Being totally present with your breath,
Sensations and your body as a complete dignified whole.
If you notice a sensation becoming overwhelming or dominating your field of awareness to the point where it becomes too difficult to stay focused and concentrated.
Then noticing the internal impulse to shift,
To change what is here.
And moving the body slightly to relieve any sense of tension.
Alternatively we can choose to move right into the part of the body that is experiencing intensity of sensation.
Zeroing in on it.
Putting the mind right there with it.
Going right into the sensation and practicing breathing with it.
Breathing in with it and breathing out with it.
Totally experiencing the sensation and responding to it by opening and softening.
Letting go of any sense of tensing and bracing.
Bringing a sense of acceptance to it and perhaps finding a sense of stillness within it.
So re-establishing your awareness at the level of your body as a whole.
And witnessing the breath as it moves in and out of the body.
If you notice your mind is wandered.
Just gently bringing the focus back to the breath and to your body.
Here now,
Allowing it to be in this moment as it is.
Sensing the whole body sitting here.
Sensing breathing happening.
And practicing being fully awake,
Fully aware and fully present with what's here now.
Being with the body and being with breathing.
And now,
When you're ready,
Allowing the eyes to stay closed and beginning to let the body move in whatever way feels right for it.
So perhaps allowing the fingers to begin moving.
The toes.
Allowing the hands to move and the feet.
And slowly allowing the movement to get bigger.
And when you're ready,
You can begin to open your eyes and to go about your day.
