Finding Joy Meditation 04

Transcript

Hi, my name is Lauren and today we’re going to continue with part four of our series on finding joy.

Today’s meditation is on mindful awareness. Let’s begin by finding a comfortable seated or lying position, letting your eyes relax. Let your mouth be closed, letting your breath flow gently in through your nose and out through your nose, your chin, tilting slightly down, and letting your head be supported by your neck, your shoulders just resting down your back and feeling your weight supported by your spine, or by the ground beneath you.

During this meditation, we’re going to focus our mindful attention on the breath. Meditation is not the absence of thought or feelings, but the act of noticing our thoughts and feelings as they arise in that moment. So it’s not the absence of anger or fear or the presence of happiness and serenity.

But an awareness of whatever is happening in the moment. by meditating, we’re just practicing the ability to notice. Let’s separate ourselves from our mind today, almost as if we’re observing our mind as an outsider. So bringing a kind curiosity to the practice today. As if we are an observer to our mind, observer to our thoughts and feelings. Notice how your body feels how your feet are supported by the floor beneath you.

Notice how your legs are supported by the chair or the floor. How your hands are supported in your lap or on your knees. Notice how your skin is feeling is there a warm or wait for the close or touching you? Is there coolness where your skin is exposed to the air and bringing your attention to your breath. Notice how it flows in and out. noticing the sensations of your breath today. Is it deep? relaxed? Is it high in your chest? You said shallow Can you feel the expansion of your rib cage as you breathe?

Remembering that as we observe our breath, it can get shy and become mechanical and that’s normal. So if your breath begins to feel awkward, just observe that just notice your breath at this moment. Not attempting to change your controller breath just observing it with kind curiosity.

If you notice your mind beginning to wander from the moment, just gently return your attention to the breath.

Watching your breath flow gently and gently out. thoughts arise in your mind. gently bring your attention back to your breath. It is the nature of the mind for thoughts to arise. So notice the thoughts. Try not to dwell on them. Just let them pass without judgment.

The act of noticing a thought and gently bringing your attention back to your breath is the act of meditation. You’re exercising the mental muscles of noticing and awareness. That’s what we’re practicing today.

When you notice your mind beginning to wander, gently return your attention to the breath. Feeling the air flowing gently in expansion of your chest. Feeling your belly move gently as you inhale and exhale.

Begin to reawaken your body. Feeling your fingers and toes bringing your awareness to the sounds around you. Feeling the floor beneath you. Your clothing against your skin. Let’s shrug our shoulders, gently tilting our head from side to side and opening our eyes and as we get ready to end our meditation for today.

Remember to notice the sensations in your day. noticing the sensations of your breath or the sensations while eating the sensations of experiencing the weather.

I look forward to seeing you in part five of this series. See you next time.

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