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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
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Learn to be non-reactive and at peace with what is happening inside and around you through the practice of developing equanimity.
Welcome to this meditation
on developing equanimity.
Equanimity means to be non-reactive
and at peace with what's happening
inside and all around you in your life.
When we are reactive to every
thought, sensation and event that
comes our way, it's a little bit
like being a dinghy in high seas.
We are tossed around at
the mercy of every wave.
But with equanimity, we become like
a beautiful, streamlined yacht that
glides gracefully through the waves.
Our awareness, keeping us grounded and at
ease through the ups and downs of life.
For today's meditation practice,
we'll start to learn more
equanimity with body sensations.
So now just finding a comfortable
position on a cushion or a chair.
And lightly closing the eyes.
And take a few moments to fine tune
the way that you've chosen to sit here.
So can you allow this posture you've
chosen to embody a sense of wakefulness.
Perhaps lengthening the spine up tall.
The crown of the head extends a
little bit up towards the ceiling.
And placing the hands
in a comfortable way.
And as a way of gathering your awareness
more fully to the here and now, just
taking three deep, slow, full breaths.
Seeing if you can follow the flow
of the breath all the way in.
And all the way out.
And then at the end of the next exhale,
allowing the breath to return to its
own natural rhythm and pace and letting
go of any control of the breath.
And now shifting your attention from
the breath into the physical body
and place your focus all the way
down into the soles of the feet.
And just observing any
sensations that are there.
Exploring this part of the
body for a few moments.
And taking in the whole feet
now, the right and the left.
And just observing any
sensations for a few moments.
And then continuing to scan
the focus upwards, observing
sensations now in the ankles.
And the lower legs.
The thighs.
And scanning the pelvic
area and the sit bones.
And the whole torso and the back.
And then scanning the shoulders.
The arms and hands.
And moving up to the neck.
And to the face.
And the whole head.
And once you've completed a length of
your body, begin scanning down once
again slowly, from top to bottom.
And as you scan, if you don't feel
any sensation in a specific area,
just wait a few more moments to tune
into the sensations before moving on.
You might only feel a very subtle
sensation like gentle tingling or pulsing.
You might find very pleasant
sensations like warmth or the
soft touch of fabric against skin.
And you might also experience
uncomfortable sensations,
such as pain or itching.
See if you can meet whatever sensations
you find with a kindly curiosity.
As best you can, just noticing
what's here without trying to
change or control anything.
Just letting it all be exactly as it is.
As you continue scanning the
body, just noticing how sensations
are changing moment by moment.
Perhaps they're not quite as fixed or
static as you might've thought they were.
And don't be discouraged if you feel
no sensation, that's not uncommon.
If that's the case, just notice what that
blankness or absence of sensation is like.
Or if they are quite strong or
uncomfortable sensations, see if you
can soften any sense of struggle or
frustration with them and just making room
for it in your experience as best you can.
And if you finished scanning down
the length of the body, feeling
free to scan upwards again.
It's not important what
kind of sensations are here.
We're not trying to get all
pleasant sensations and make
the unpleasant ones go away.
Instead we're learning to observe
sensations as they are moment by moment
without automatically reacting to them.
Learning equanimity like that
streamlined yacht, we learn to stay
steady and grounded in awareness, simply
letting what is here to be as it is.
So if there's a pleasant
sensation, simply notice it.
If there's an ache or
pain, simply notice it.
If there's a cold breeze on
the skin, just notice that.
If there's a warm touch of
a blanket, just notice that.
See if you can be with whatever is
happening with a kind and curious
awareness, without trying to
fix, change or control anything.
Just letting it be.
Now in this way, we are training ourselves
to be with sensations with ease and
awareness, rather than reactivity.
And seeing if you can notice
these sensations without any
mental commentary about them.
Just feeling what's here to be
felt moment by moment by moment.
As you continue to develop equanimity
through mindfulness practice, you'll
find yourself becoming less reactive
to the ups and downs of life too.
When difficulty comes your way,
you'll be more able to handle the
challenges without stress or grief.
You'll be more able to take intelligent
action without anxiety, and you'll
be better equipped to maintain
peace of mind in all circumstances.
You'll gradually develop
a fulfillment that is not
dependent on external conditions.
So as this practice now comes to
a close, just gently wriggling
the fingers and the toes.
And then when you're ready,
gently blinking open the eyes.
And take a moment to notice how
are you feeling after practicing
mindfulness, meditation.
And congratulations on taking this
time out to look after your wellbeing.
And wishing you a wonderful day.
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