Hello and welcome to Mind, the Mind of the Mind. So beginning with an intentional shift out of the busyness or the boringness, or the way the day has run so far, and coming to this practice. Beginning with a FOF BOC: feet on floor, bum on chair, an intentional shift, closing the eyes and bringing oneself closer to this moment.And so as we sit, being here in this moment and being aware of mind. Seeing what is here in the mind, as though sitting in the seat at a theater or a cinema and mind is the stage or the screen, and we sit and we watch not needing to get on stage just simply watching the stage. Being here, observing thoughts as characters coming into this scene, seeing who is on the stage just now in this moment. What is here? What is in the mind?Thoughts about the time? Thoughts about peanut butter sandwiches? Thoughts about a conversation that happened yesterday? Thoughts about where to go tonight? No thoughts and emptiness of thoughts, so whatever is here is here and it's okay. Just being observant of mind… being in mind.Seeing characters, regular choruses of shopping lists or emails to check and noticing mind, and the characters that come on where the scenery becomes darker, the lights and the mood change as a regular baddie steps onto the stage, something we know well, I'm not good enough. I'm not doing well enough. I'm a bad mother, brother, sister, lover.Observing the thought and perhaps noticing any reactivity to that thought, trying to push it away, push it into the wings, wind the film on, and instead just being here in mind, observing mind. Nothing to do other than watch, observe, see. Seeing thoughts emerging coming to the front, moving away to the side. Other thoughts coming in? Similar thoughts? Or a thought triggered by a sound outside.Being aware of thought. Being with the mind. 99% of thoughts we've had before. Not needing to get onto the stage. Not needing to get them off the stage. Just noticing thought.That is all. Just being here in the presence of mind.So as we bring this practice to an end, take this out with you and notice from time to time what mind is doing. And if possible, just stay with it. Just be with it. Just watch it. Watching it is different to engaging with it or trying to do something with it. Just seeing mind watching, mind being in the seat and watching the stage or the screen.Go, well practice hard.Episode 8Hello and welcome to Mind the Mind: Start with a Stop. So first thing FOF BOC: feet on floor, bum on chair, an intentional move out of carrying on autopilot. A stop closing the eyes… and tuning in to what is this? What is here?How is my mood, my mind, and my body? Just noticing. Stop and see what is this? Not necessarily the content or diving into the detail, but the quality. A busy mind, a rapid mind. A tense body, a heavy body, a quick mood, a slow mood. Just noticing.Second stage of this practice is to gather in. Gathering in to a place of focus. A place to intentionally guide and bring the mind that might be in the breath. the breath in the belly as it breathes in, and out.It may be gathering to the feet on the floor, the sensation of the feet on the floor. Just now gathering in the breath, the feet, the bottom in the chair… sounds around. So no big deal. No better choice. Just a choice of a place to gather and bring the mind. So being here. In this place just as best we can, and when mind wanders travels, it’s OK - just gathering again, stopping again.So in the third stage of this stop practice, expanding out. Expanding out to what do I need now?What would be of use to me just now in this moment, maybe to rotate the shoulders. To move the body, to know that it would be good to go and get a cup of tea, go for a pee, expanding out, knowing that this day is a busy day, and that at the end of the day I want to book some time to go and see friends and have a beer, go to the cinema, watch a film. Have a busy week and make a plan for a weekend. So it could be expanding into the moments now, or it could be expanding out further into time to what will be of use to me in the next few days.So just taking a moment to see what arises. Any quick answers it might be, there isn't a clear answer now, so just allowing that answer to be found maybe today. Writing a list, it will almost certainly be known to you in some way. So as we bring this practice to an end, this to is a place to start and any moment is a place to stop and start again.By gathering… after we have become aware of the, what is this? So we may gather to our mouth, to our body, broader body, to the breath, to sounds, developing an awareness, a wakefulness of the mind and the mood. Stopping, gathering in and then expanding out just for a moment and asking, what do I need now? Maybe nothing. Just this is okay. So wishing you well and take this practice out. There was always a new moment to stop and start. Go ahead, practice well. Mind the mind with mindfulness.Thanks to Stimuli for the ability to offer these tutorials.