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The Skyros Blog

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Skyros holidays facilitator Ignacio Lalanne offers a mindfulness practice to help during the current coronavirus crisis

We live in a time of considerable uncertainty and fear. I want to share with you all how we can approach and relate to doubt, anxiety and other challenging emotions. Because of the current circumstances, many of us we are now forced to take a pause, to be still, and that is an excellent opportunity to reflect. A time of contemplation. A time to look inwards and see what is essential in our lives. When we are in this ‘quiet‘ space, we will notice more than ever, our train of thoughts racing through our brains fuelled by feelings of difficulty and apprehension. If they arise, I invite you to meet these difficult, unwanted and unpleasant emotions and thoughts with love and kindness, to give them some space, to allow them to be here with us. Breathe them in, and let them out, knowing, that now, more than ever, they are shared among all of us here on this planet. Let us together take a moment for this short meditation which focuses on meeting difficulty in our lives. 

With love and kindness,

Ignacio Lalanne, Skyros mindfulness and art facilitator

 

A short meditation practice: Dealing with difficulty

Now close your eyes or lower your gaze.

Take a few moments to notice the space around you and the sense of your body in this space.

Be aware of the shape of your body, the mass of your body, and the weight of your body.

Feel the grounding awareness of gravity drawing you down.

I invite you to become aware of the feeling of your hands on your lap, and your feet flat on the ground.

When you feel ready, see if you can bring your attention to the physical sensation of the breath, deep down in the abdomen.

Notice the expanding movement when you breathe in, and the subsiding movement when you breathe out.

Rest your awareness for a few moments in the changing pattern of your natural breath. You might notice that your mind has wandered far away, and that's perfectly fine.

When you notice that your mind has wandered, see if you can smile inwardly and bring your attention back to the natural movement of your breath deep down in your abdomen. Breathing in and breathing out.

If you start to feel any physical or emotional discomfort, see if you can give it some space.

Maybe you can explore it further with a sense off curiosity and kindness. Perhaps explore where you feel it in your body. Allowing it to be there just as it is.

Notice how it might change, how all sensations change. They rise, linger for a while, and then subside.

Maybe you can ’breath’ into it on the in-breath and on the out-breath try and create a sense of letting it be. Allowing it to here just for now. Giving it some space. Bathing it with loving-kindness.

When we meet our inner difficulties, we are not trying to change anything. We are trying to be open to what is already there. To let things be just as they are, observing their ebb and flow.

After a few moments, return your attention to the sensation of your breath in the abdomen.

Keep it there for a few moments, then once more expand your awareness to the whole of your body, and very gently bring this meditation to an end.

Comments

Sun 5th Apr 2020 09:46 Nicole Tynan said…
Thankyou for the gift of this meditation - I came across it whilst googling well being retreats on the Isle Of Wight - the time at home (whilst still having to work hard) has given me space to realise I was living with fear and anxiety making me tense all the time. I am working on my attitude that is in place when I wake up as I realised I had not been looking forward to the day ahead but I had been fearful of what it might hold for me. I hope that meditation practice over time can help me rejoice my life again - Thankyou

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