Mindfulness Meditation

Welcome. My name is Hattie Bluestone and this mindfulness meditation is intended to cultivate a sense of presence as well as ease pain with time. To begin, come into a comfortable position. You could be seated or lying down and allowing your eyes to gently close and beginning by taking just a couple rounds of soothing breath, breathing in, filling your lungs and through your mouth exhaling, perhaps even sighing a little bit. As you exhale, you might allow your body to release any unnecessary tension or stress. Perhaps imagining that flowing out of your body as you exhale, beginning to settle into your body and into this present moment. And then bring your awareness into your body and just begin to feel the sensations that are in your body right now. So there might be a general sense of tingling or pulsation. You might feel the support of the earth underneath your body, a kind of stability or steadiness there at those points of contact. There also might be some pain or discomfort somewhere in your body as well as the soft movement of your breathing. And for right now, see if you can allow all of these sensations just to be here. So making a lot of space in this moment for your body to feel just what it feels. And then settling your awareness onto your breathing and beginning to feel the movement of your breath and your body. And you can feel the breath wherever it's easiest. So it might be at the nostrils as the air flows in and out. They might be at the chest or the belly and a sense of expansion as the breath flows in and a softening as the breath flows out. Or perhaps feeling your breath in the whole body the way the whole body subtly moves with each inhale and exhale. So actually allowing this to be very simple, just feeling the movement of your breathing wherever it is easiest to feel. And the mind will naturally wander. That is just the nature of the mind. So when you notice that happen just in a friendly or natural way, just gently coming back, perhaps beginning to notice the way each in-breath gently nourishes your body. And with each out-breath the way the body relaxes softens a bit. And now beginning to notice the rhythm of your breath. So perhaps noticing that the breath has a kind of soothing rhythm, rising and falling, flowing in and flowing out. And the breath has a kind of soothing rhythm just like gentle ocean waves. And perhaps feeling your whole body subtly moving with this soothing rhythm of your own breath.

And there is nothing you need to do. So the body breathes itself, the body breathes you. All this happens on its own. And we'll begin to warm up our awareness here. So to do that you might place a hand on your heart or your belly, one or both hands. And as you feel the movement of your breathing also feeling the gentle touch of your hands. This gesture of the hands is just a reminder of kindness. The kindness that is naturally expressed and sitting down and practicing meditation. Kindness to your body, to your mind and to yourself. You can keep your hands there if you wish or just allow them to rest in your lap or elsewhere. And again allowing yourself to feel the rhythm of your breath. Allowing your physical body to be soothed by this rhythm and also perhaps internally.

Allowing yourself to be soothed or comforted by this gentle flow. Nothing you need to do. And then from there beginning to let go of the breathing. Let your awareness rest gently in your experience as a whole. Allowing your experience to be just as it is and allowing yourself also in this moment to be just as you are. Whenever you're ready slowly and gently opening your eyes.