Transcription
Let's begin by taking a moment to allow your body to settle. Find a comfortable position that allows your spine to be long but with a natural curve in the low back. You can close your eyes or keep them open with a soft gaze downward a few feet in front of you (2 seconds).
Let the belly and shoulders relax.
Today I’ll guide you through an open awareness practice.
Before we start, take a full breath in (2 seconds) and a long breath out (5 seconds).
Now along the breath to find its natural rhythm (2 seconds),
in and out.
As you breathe, the breath can be like an anchor or a foothold.
As you observe what's happening right now,
as you allow yourself to notice whatever is arising,
you can decide for yourself if you want to dial up or dial down
how aware of the breath you are at a given moment (10 seconds).
To practice giving equal open attention to whatever is arising, light questions can be helpful. What sounds do you hear that maybe you didn't notice before? (5 seconds)
What do your clothes or the air on your skin feel like? (5 seconds)
Are there any smells around you?
Are there any sensations in your body? (5 seconds)
This kind of active curiosity can reveal the more subtle parts of our awareness
without getting us stuck or swept away by anyone thing (15 seconds).
Whenever you realize, you've gotten caught up in thinking just come back to rest and simple clear awareness of what's here now.
Focusing on a few breathes before coming back to open awareness can also help settle the mind before you open up your awareness again (20 seconds).
As we begin to close this open awareness practice, come back to focus on the breath letting awareness of other things fade to the background (2 seconds),
breathing in and out.
Let's finish this open awareness practice now by taking a full breath in and a long breath out (5 seconds) ding (15 seconds).
Integrated Practice:
Write for 2 full minutes for each journaling prompt below. Once you’ve finished, take a minute to reread what you wrote and reflect.
Journaling Prompts:
Practice using an open-awareness mindset as you respond to the following journaling prompts:
1. Some effects of this practice period for me have been…
2. What I’m surprised about in my life right now is…
I feel an increased feeling of relaxation and and ease as I progress into this point of meditation. I have identified parts of the body that is always having sensation and what surprises me is that I have increased my ability to just notice the sensations, no reaction nor analysis of why and without me knowing it, it seems it "diffused" naturally and gracefully. I am grateful how these meditation tools/techniques brought so much wellness on my body and I continue to claim this positive experience. Thank you Sean for this learning opportunity.
I heard the sound of my dog sitting on the door of my room, his breathing. This time I did not feel tire of my cells. I concentrated much more and I am more relaxed.