A shared practice
Thoughts & Emotions
S
Created bySean Fargo
From Sean's awareness collection — recorded in his own voice.
In Sean Fargo’s own voice10 min
Read along — the full script
This mindfulness practice is for mindfulness of thoughts and feelings. I'm Sean Fargo. Let's begin by finding a comfortable posture. It's helpful to be seated in a chair or on a mat. Sit upright, feeling a sense of dignity in your posture, and invite a sense of ease into the body.
It's helpful to take a few deep breaths, breathing fully with your belly, in and out your nose as you breathe in a natural rhythm. Relaxing the muscles of your belly, dropping your shoulders, softening your hands, and loosening the muscles of your face and jaw. Slowly and gently closing your eyes with a sense of relaxation.
Bring your awareness to the physical sensations in your body, especially the sensations of touch or pressure, perhaps where your body makes contact with the chair or floor. Remembering to breathe natural, full breaths with your belly. Noticing the rise and fall of your belly as you breathe, like ocean waves coming in and out.
Your breath is always there. Notice its rhythm in your body. Notice each breath, each inhale, each exhale. Notice the changing patterns of sensations in your belly as you breathe in and out. Just feeling the physical sensations of the breath.
No need to try to control your breathing in any way. Simply let the breath breathe itself with an attitude of generous allowing and gentle acceptance to all of your experience. There's nothing to be fixed, no state to be achieved.
As best as you can, simply allow your experience to be your experience without needing it to be anything other than that. Sooner or later, your mind will wander away from the breath to other concerns or images or planning. This is what minds do.
When you notice that your mind has wandered, you can congratulate yourself. You've come back into awareness. You're once more aware of your current moment experience. Notice where your mind went. Perhaps it's thinking, thinking or feeling, feeling And gently escort your attention back to the sensations of the breath coming in and going out.
With a sense of kindness and compassion for your experience. Knowing how difficult it can be to stay present. Coming back to the sensations of breathing again and again. And if you become aware of bodily sensations or feelings that are particularly intense, see if you can just notice them, acknowledge their presence, and see if you can make space around them.
Not trying to hold on to them or make them go away. See if you can open your heart and make some room for the discomfort, for the tension or anxiety. Allowing the other sensations of discomfort to be there. Is there enough space in you to welcome all of your experience?
Watch the sensations change from moment to moment. Sometimes growing stronger, sometimes staying the same, sometimes they grow weaker. Breathing calmly into and out of the sensations of discomfort. Imagining the breath moving in and out from that region of the body with a sense of cool spaciousness.
The intention is not to make you feel better, but to get better at simply noticing and feeling. Now stay with your experience in the same way for as long as you'd like, noticing the movements of the breath with a gentle attitude of kindness and care.
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