Episode Transcript
[00:00:11] Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Breathe and Release podcast. My name is Jillian Rose and I'm so glad that you're here with me today.
[00:00:21] Today we'll practice resting in awareness, a chance to step back from the busyness of the mind and simply be with what is, just as it is. This, in many respects, is what mindfulness is all about. It's not necessarily about feeling better or relaxing or sleeping better. All of these are side effects of really being with the truth of what is and befriending the present moment.
[00:00:59] Find a comfortable seat on a chair, a cushion or the floor where your body can feel supported and at ease.
[00:01:09] You don't need to force anything. This is about settling into presence.
[00:01:26] Close your eyes if that feels safe. Or perhaps soften your gaze and look downwards.
[00:01:34] Take a few long, deep breaths, inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling slowly through your mouth.
[00:01:50] Let your breath carry a sigh, releasing any tension.
[00:01:58] Notice your body settling, your shoulders, softening, your hands resting gently.
[00:02:39] Your attention to the breath, wherever you feel it the most clearly.
[00:02:46] Maybe the coolness at your nostrils, the rise and fall of your chest, or the gentle expansion of your belly.
[00:03:01] There's no need to control the breath, just let it flow, natural and easy.
[00:03:10] Rest your awareness on each inhale, each exhale, like following the rhythm of waves on a shore.
[00:03:55] If you notice your mind wandering to thoughts, plans, sensations, that's okay. It's what minds do.
[00:04:05] Just notice the wandering without judgment and gently guide your attention back to the breath.
[00:04:14] You're not trying to stop the thoughts. You're practicing resting in the space where thoughts arise.
[00:04:58] Now widen your awareness to include the whole field of your experience.
[00:05:04] Notice sounds, the hum of the room, a car passing, the flow of your breath.
[00:05:15] Let sounds come, let sounds go without chasing or pushing them away.
[00:05:23] They're just part of this moment, appearing in the vastness of your awareness.
[00:06:08] Include sensation in the body, maybe a warmth in your hands, a tingling in your feet, or a tightness somewhere.
[00:06:23] No need to fix or change anything.
[00:06:27] Just notice with curiosity and kindness what's here right now, what's true right now.
[00:07:07] As you rest in this open awareness, ask yourself gently, what's asking for my attention?
[00:07:17] Maybe it's a feeling. Anxiety, joy, sadness, fatigue, or a thought that keeps circling.
[00:07:28] Whatever it is, meet it with softness.
[00:07:33] You might imagine placing a hand on your heart, whispering, it's okay, I see you.
[00:08:23] There's such a tendency to get caught in our stories, to believe that we are our thoughts or our emotions.
[00:08:34] But in this moment, can you see them as Passing events, like clouds moving through a clear sky.
[00:08:46] They arise, linger and dissolve.
[00:08:51] Everything is temporary.
[00:08:54] You are the sky, not the clouds.
[00:08:59] Rest in that spaciousness, just for a moment.
[00:09:33] If there's something heavy, like a worry or a doubt, try this.
[00:09:41] Picture it as a guest in your awareness.
[00:09:45] You don't need to push it out or cling to it.
[00:09:50] Just let it be held in the light of your attention.
[00:09:55] With each breath, let it soften in, let it release, even just a little bit.
[00:10:34] Now let go of focusing on any one thing, the breath, sounds, sensations, and rest in the openness of awareness itself.
[00:10:49] It's like taking a step back to notice the space in which everything happens.
[00:10:58] Thoughts appear, sensations shift, sounds come and go, and yours, simply the knowing of it all.
[00:11:40] If the mind pulls you into a story, notice that pull. Say to yourself, thinking or feeling, and come back to this open, wakeful presence.
[00:11:57] There's nothing to achieve here. Here, nowhere to go. You're already here, awake, alive.
[00:12:36] Feel into the simplicity of this moment.
[00:12:42] No need to be someone or do something.
[00:12:46] Just this breath, this sound, this stillness.
[00:12:54] Let yourself rest in what's true.
[00:12:58] Right now, we come to the end of this practice.
[00:13:48] Bring your attention back to your breath for a few cycles.
[00:13:54] Notice the air moving in, moving out, carrying you. Gently place a hand on your heart if you'd like, and offer yourself a moment of gratitude for showing up, for pausing, for being with yourself. In this way.
[00:14:31] You might silently say, may I rest in awareness.
[00:14:38] May I move through my day with ease and kindness.
[00:15:02] Whenever you're ready, let your eyes softly blink open if they were closed, taking the space around you, the colors, the light.
[00:15:16] Carry the sense of spaciousness with you, knowing that you can return here anytime.
[00:15:25] Thank you so much for being with me. On breathe and release until next.
