{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\cocoartf1671\cocoasubrtf600 {\fonttbl\f0\fswiss\fcharset0 Helvetica;} {\colortbl;\red255\green255\blue255;} {\*\expandedcolortbl;;} \margl1440\margr1440\vieww19060\viewh14980\viewkind0 \pard\tx566\tx1133\tx1700\tx2267\tx2834\tx3401\tx3968\tx4535\tx5102\tx5669\tx6236\tx6803\pardirnatural\partightenfactor0 \f0\fs24 \cf0 12:24:56 So, for this next practice. I'd like to include sound, as well as body sensations.\ 12:25:09 So we'll do a practice that focuses on, beginning with the breath, and then body and sound, and then coming back to kind of the whole of our experience.\ 12:25:24 Just see how how that how that goes.\ 12:25:28 So, once again settling into posture that feels supportive for the body, in which you can be alert and awake yet at ease,\ 12:25:44 allowing the body to be comfortable, yet aware, connected with the present moment.\ 12:25:55 It's getting a sense of your posture and choosing, perhaps to close the eyes are keeping a soft gaze hands resting on the lab feet in contact with the ground, hips supported sitting with a tall spine allowing the spine to grow out of the hips and a slight\ 12:26:16 nod. In the chin to elongate the neck, sending the crown of the head up towards the sky, lengthening sending a signal to the body in mind that we are in the present moment, letting go of any automatic pilot automatic patterns we may have.\ 12:26:41 And then beginning to focus on the breath.\ 12:26:46 The movement of the breath in and out of the body, and sensations of breathing,\ 12:26:54 just like we did earlier in the mindfulness of breathing practice, beginning to bring a sense of curiosity and interest to the breath, kind of a beginner's mind.\ 12:27:13 Really, examining and investigating all of the aspects of the breath with curiosity.\ 12:27:22 The depth and the length, the rhythm, where you feel the breath, and the particular sensations of breathing.\ 12:27:39 Allowing yourself simply to rest in this awareness of breath, and allowing the breath to be an anchor to the present moment.\ 12:28:10 can use the attention gets pulled to sound.\ 12:28:15 If the attention gets pulled to sound. Sounds in the background.\ 12:28:18 Maybe a siren\ 12:28:22 heating ventilation clock ticking\ 12:28:28 Where to thoughts, planning, the rest of your day or week or weekend.\ 12:28:37 Whatever it is just noting this maybe naming it\ 12:28:43 gently and kindly guiding the attention back to the body breathing, the sensations of breath, where you notice them the most.\ 12:28:57 over and over and over again. Doesn't matter how many times.\ 12:29:03 Just guiding yourself back soon as you notice.\ 12:29:48 when the next out breath now, releasing the attention on breathing, letting that be in the background and shifting the attention to the body to a sense of the entire body.\ 12:30:06 In this posture, taking this wide and spacious perspective awareness of the body, seeing if you notice any sensations in the body.\ 12:30:22 Perhaps you notice a sensation of touch or contact or support or temperature, tingling itch.\ 12:30:34 A tightness or tension.\ 12:30:36 Maybe a general sense of fatigue or tiredness, maybe agitation,\ 12:30:45 or sleepiness whatever's here, naming this institution as best you can.\ 12:30:56 And if it's helpful perhaps even where you feel it in the body.\ 12:31:01 Just taking a wide and spacious perspective of the body and perhaps honing in on one sensation that is most prominent, whatever it is, and staying there investigating it for a while, as best you can.\ 12:31:24 It's okay to move if you need to move it's okay to itch. If you need that.\ 12:31:45 Or to shift your posture, but as you're doing that, just do it mindfully with awareness aware of the intention.\ 12:31:41 The impulse.\ 12:31:43 and then the action itself, and how it feels, before and after about analyzing too much just felt sense, what does this feel like in the body.\ 12:31:56 Maybe something has shifted maybe it has not.\ 12:32:00 That's okay.\ 12:32:06 It's helpful and you're not sure where to place your attention just choosing a place, maybe it's the feet, or the belly rising and falling with us, or the chest, or the hands.\ 12:32:39 If the sensations are subtle or fleeting just staying with them long enough to notice them arising lingering and passing.\ 12:32:40 One at a time.\ 12:32:48 Maybe even silently noting\ 12:32:52 the sensation\ 12:32:56 and moving on to the next one.\ 12:33:20 When you first sensation comes that is particularly intense.\ 12:33:33 You might wish to first explore it.\ 12:33:29 Stay with it for a little while.\ 12:33:33 It continues to be intense.\ 12:33:35 Not with a desire to push it away, necessarily, but just to understand it, get familiar with it.\ 12:33:44 And maybe, allowing the breath to help with this sensation, breathing into this part of the body, and expanding into it with the inhale and then with the exhale perhaps softening releasing.\ 12:34:04 Even at the edges,\ 12:34:16 we're shifting are moving in some way that alleviates the intensive.\ 12:34:21 If it's unpleasant.\ 12:34:57 So now the sensation in the body is the anchor to the present moment. And if the attention goes off into thinking just gently and kindly bringing it back to the body as a whole, until a sensation calls for your attention.\ 12:35:21 Anything if there's no sensation and just a sense of the body sitting in this posture and breathing.\ 12:36:02 So on the next exhale releasing the attention on the body, letting that being the background, and on the inhale, shifting the attention to hearing to sound.\ 12:36:17 Just listening to sounds coming and going,\ 12:36:25 perhaps, a sense of the characteristics of the sound, the loudness or softness pitch.\ 12:36:38 Timber Lang frequency.\ 12:36:44 Is it close or far.\ 12:37:02 Staying with one sound at a time that captures your attention and just exploring it. See, in particular how it arises, and lingers. Maybe it changes, and passes.\ 12:38:03 Can you see attention gets pause to thinking, again, perhaps even noticing how a thought arises lingers and passes just like sounds arise, and pass.\ 12:38:12 Just noting this noting thinking, and then gently and kindly guiding the attention back to sound here.\ 12:39:00 Maybe noticing silence.\ 12:39:04 In between sounds.\ 12:40:09 No, releasing the attention on sound and gently guiding the attention back to the entire body sense of the body. in this posture body breathing.\ 12:40:34 Any and all sensations, touch points and contact between the body and the ground or the chair.\ 12:40:44 And the surface of the skin,\ 12:40:50 sense of the space around you.\ 12:40:57 Then slowly releasing this practice.\ 12:41:05 Gently opening the eyes}