Welcome to this mindfulness practice.
Let’s begin by finding a sitting posture that feels both steady and comfortable.
Feet resting on the ground.
Hands placed gently on your lap.
Your back is upright and relaxed.
Almost as if you are sitting like a steady mountain.
Take a slow breath here… feeling the steadiness in your spine and the weight of your body supported.

You can gently close your eyes or rest your gaze on the ground.
Noticing the contact of your body with the surface beneath you.
The weight of your feet pressing into the ground.
Feeling the ground holding you up, supporting you.
You don’t need to do anything.
You may just let yourself be grounded.
If at any point you feel like stepping out of the practice, just open your eyes and notice where you are.
You can also come back to the feeling of being grounded anytime during this practice.

Now, you may gently bring your attention to your breathing.
Feeling each in-breath and each out-breath in the belly or at the tip of your nose.
No need to change the breathing — just noticing it as it flows in its natural rhythm.
Letting the breath be like a gentle anchor that steadies you here in this moment.

Now, let’s open our attention to the world of sounds.
Just listening to the sounds around you.
Sounds close by and sounds far away.
Just noticing them as they appear and disappear. Let the sounds come to you, rather than reaching out to find them.
Like a microphone, simply receiving the sounds, without naming them or thinking what they mean.
If a sound disappears, you may rest in the quiet until the next one arrives.

Taking one breath to steady yourself before shifting attention to a different object.
We are going to observe thoughts the same way as we listen to the sounds.
Thoughts are showing up — maybe memories, plans, or pictures.
You may just watch them appear and disappear.
As each next thought arises and dissolves.
You may imagine these thoughts like clouds floating through the sky.
Or like images passing on a movie screen.
They are drifting, they stay for a while, and then they move on.

You don’t need to chase them or push them away — you may just notice them passing.
If a difficult thought or feeling shows up, you may gently shift your awareness to the body.
Feeling your feet pressing into the ground.
Feeling the support of the surface beneath you.
Grounding yourself in this moment, like the roots of a tree reaching into the earth.

Now returning to your breathing.
Noticing your in-breaths and out-breaths.
Breath by breath, moment by moment.
As we close, you might take a moment to appreciate that you gave yourself this time to practice.
Taking one more slow breath in and a gentle breath out.
Noticing your feet on the ground again, your hands resting, your body sitting here.

And when you’re ready, slowly opening your eyes, if you had them closed.
Noticing what is around you and how you feel inside.