You may have some familiarity, perhaps you may even have some mastery meditation.
That's okay. Take a moment to begin at the beginning again.
1. Sit comfortably, upright is best. Take three deep breaths and relax your body. Then let the breath come and go at its own natural pace.
2. Ask yourself, "How do I feel?" and check what emotions you might be carrying from your life.
Check how your body is feeling.
Whatever it is you are feeling, just notice it - happy, sad, tired, energetic, drowsy, restless, curious, excited, distracted, calm, joyful, ask yourself the question, "Are there any strong sensations in my body?"
Check out the sensations you discover: tingling, pulsing, heavy light, touching, hot, cold, hard, soft. . .
In other words, know where you're at right now by knowing what's going on, what's actual, what's real, as you experience it the the realm of the body.
Begin the meditation by knowing where you're starting from, by knowing what what you're carrying.
Spend a few minutes like that, checking what you feel in your body and mind. Don't pay attention to what any of it might mean, why you're tired, or what you're excited about. Just be the with actual experience.
Now, shift your attention to your breath. So that you are with the actual experience of your breathing. How do you feel your breath in your body. For example, where do you first detect the very beginning of the in-breath? At the nose, in the stomach, the chest, the throat? Then where does your attention go as you continue that in-breath? Does it move? What's the most noticeable sensation? What do you experience at the very end of the in-breath? How do you know it's stopped? Is there a pause? Does the out-breath begin right away? If there's a pause, a moment of stillness? How to you know it? How do you experience that?
3. Then the out-breath. Exploring in the same way. Where do you first detect the very beginning of the out-breath? At your nose, in your stomach, your chest, your throat?
Then where does your attention go as you continue that out-breath?
Does it move?
What's the most noticeable sensation at any moment?
What is announcing itself to you?
Notice what do you experience at the very end of the out-breath?
How do you know the out-breath has stopped?
How does the in-breath begin again?
Is it the same as the last breath or different.
NOT thinking, simply noticing
Breath by breath. Each one a little different. With each one your attention also, a little different.
4. Continue like that. It doesn't matter that your mind will wander off the breath.
When you notice that you have been lost in a thought you are already half way back to your breath.
You are already practicing and developing mindfulness.
When your mind wanders, just bring it back to be with your breath, as before. it's not a problem.
The mind will wander. The practice is bringing your attention back each time; simply, with patience, even gratitude. After all, each time you do you are learning to be present, to be right here.
It's important not to imagine that the wandering mind is a signal that you're not getting this right.
Your mind WILL wander. What's important for now is to be patient. For some people a first important understanding is HOW MUCH their mind does wander, how little time is spent here and now!
Practice this meditation every day.
For 20, 30, 40 minutes;
or for just 5 minutes three or four times a day.
When falling asleep at night
you can do this practice too
Forward to a friend
