Ross: [00:00:00] Hi there, and a very warm welcome to Season six, episode 26 of People Soup. It's Ross Macintosh here. Peace Soup is this week. It's a special bonus episode. In fact, it's an extract from the previous episode. It's a practical mindfulness meditation exercise, which takes about seven and a half minutes if you want to hear more about the background and introduction.

Have a listen to the previous episode number 25. this bonus episode is presented for those who might like to use the recording for a regular practice with minimal intro and no outro. mindfulness meditation of body and breath, and I hope it's useful

Welcome to this short mindfulness meditation. You can choose to do this lying down or sitting in a [00:01:00] chair. If you're lying down. Just allow your arms to rest by your side. Make sure your legs are uncrossed with your feet falling away from each other. If you're sitting in a chair, just plant your feet flat on the floor about to hip whi apart.

Allow your spine to be upright in what we call a dignified posture. And if it's comfortable for you, allowing the eyes to close or just go unfocused on whatever's in front of you

and imagining your attention is like a spotlight directed onto the body and taking that spotlight down the body all the way down to the feet, the left foot, and the right foot. I just bringing curiosity to this area of the body. Noticing any sensations there in this moment. Maybe there's an itch, an ache, a particular temperature.[00:02:00]

Just registering that sensation moment by moment. And if there's nothing to notice, that's fine. We're not looking to create anything. We're just looking to hone our noticing skills and acknowledge what's there right now.

And if your mind's anything like mine, you may find it's wandered off. It's been hooked away, and if you do notice that, just see if you can notice where it's gone, and then gently bring the attention back to the feet and the sensations there. On the next in breath, just expanding that spotlight of attention to take in the lower legs, up to the knees, the upper legs, right up to the pelvis, and again, noticing sensations here [00:03:00] with curiosity with interest.

Maybe noticing sensations of clothing in contact with your skin. Perhaps noticing sensations deep inside,

whatever there is to notice. Just registering that.

And on the next in-breath, expanding that spotlight of attention once more to take in the torso, the chest, letting that spotlight rise to cover the back as well. Allowing the attention to spill down each arm, the left arm, and the right arm, right to the fingertips.

Are there any sensations to notice [00:04:00] in the air around your hands or fingertips? Perhaps a tingle, perhaps a particular temperature,

and again, you might find your mind's wandered off. It's completely natural and normal human response. And if you do notice, your mind is wondered. Just see if you can gently yet firmly bring it back to the body,

noticing what sensations there are in this moment,

and on the next in breath, just allowing that spotlight of attention to expand and include the muscles of the neck. The scalp, the forehead, the muscles around the eyes, the cheeks, the mouth, and the chin.[00:05:00]

Perhaps noticing the expression on your face right now.

And now as we try to hold a full body in our attention. Noticing the posture too, holding the whole body in our attention.

And on the next in breath, allowing that attention on the whole body to dissolve into the background, allowing it to fade away and bringing the spotlight of attention to the center of the body. To the abdomen, the tummy, and the sensations of breathing

as best you can, seeing if you can follow one in breath and one out breath, [00:06:00] and the movement of the tummy, perhaps noticing the tiny pause between each in breath and out breath.

As best you can, allowing the breath to breathe itself, not looking to alter the way you're breathing, just following its natural flow.

And if your mind's anything like mine, you might notice it's been hooked away.

And if you do notice that. Just see if you can notice where it went. Then gently yet firmly bring the attention back to the tummy and that inward and outward movement with each breath,

and I'll just leave a few moments without my voice just to allow [00:07:00] us to practice this in silence.

And just know that the breath is always there

to help us connect with now, to help us ground ourselves and to help us develop this skill of noticing. So I'm going to start to bring this exercise to a close. So when you're ready. Just gently [00:08:00] let the light back in. Open your eyes or refocus your eyes and have a look at what's around you right now.

Maybe give your body a bit of a stretch. Your legs, your arms, stand up, have a shake. Just bring yourself back into the present moment.