Waking Up with Sam Harris - Mindfulness Meditation (9 minutes)

Welcome to the Inner Mastery Podcast, presented by World Pharmacy. Take a seat either in a chair or cross-legged on a cushion, and gradually become aware of the sensations of sitting, feelings of pressure in your back or legs, feel your arms at your sides, and perhaps take a few deep breaths, and allow gravity to settle you into your seat. And now gradually become aware of the process of breathing. Notice where you feel the breath most distinctly, either the tip of the nose or the rise in and falling of your abdomen, just feel the mere sensations associated with the breath. From the beginning of the inhalation, through the pause between breaths, and follow the exhalation to the end, simply cover the breath with your awareness. There's no reason to control the breath, just allow it to come and go naturally. Every time your mind wanders to a thought, gently return it to the breath or to the sensations of sitting, to the feeling of your back against the chair or the cushion, to the feelings of pressure in your legs. Now as you focus on the process of breathing, you will also perceive sounds and bodily sensations and emotions and the full flow of your experience. Simply observe these phenomena as they appear in consciousness and return to the breath. See if you can notice the next breath from the moment it arises, for its full duration, until the moment it subsides. Begin again in this moment, noticing the next inhalation and the pause between breaths and the next exhalation. In the moment you notice a thought present in the mind, watch what happens to that thought, to the image or a bit of language. Where does it go? It doesn't matter how long you've been lost in thought, just notice it. In this instant, and come back to the feeling of breathing, to the raw sensations of movement, temperature, pressure. And if there's a mood or emotion present in the mind, notice that too. Notice the constellation of sensations in the face and the body. If you're feeling sleepy, notice how it is that you feel sleepy. What does it feel like in your face and your body? Then come back to the sensations of breathing. Notice any sounds in the room, observe how they arise spontaneously. You don't have to make any effort to hear them, you're continuously arising and changing and passing away. Let each sound simply reveal this space of consciousness. Where all sounds and sensations and thoughts and emotions are simply appearing moment to the moment. There's nothing in principle that falls outside this practice of meditation. You're simply being aware of sights and sounds and sensations as they arise. Simply notice what you do in fact notice in each moment. There's no need to change your experience into anything. Again, the moment you notice your lost in thought, simply observe the thought itself as it passes away and then return your attention to the breath or to sounds or sensations in the body. And just continue in this way until you can merely witness all the objects of consciousness. Sights and sounds, sensations and emotions even thoughts themselves as they arise and change and pass away.