Creator Deb Phelps walks us through a guided mindfulness meditation

The following is a meditation video from Teachable creator Deb Phelps. She’s the founder of the Peaceful Wellness Institute and a certified Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher, and Practitioner since 1980. She uniquely assists her clients to overcome stress, anxiety, PTSD, grief, and other life situations so that they can once again live purposeful, joy-filled lives. Deb has overcome significant life challenges aided by a variety of mind-body-spirit practices. By diligently using these tools over many decades, she found a life of contentment and equanimity. Through extensive education and life experience, including living in a spiritual community for one year, she assists and inspires others to do the same. Watch her video below and see how she guides her students through meditations.

Video transcript:

Hello, my name is Deb Phelps and I’m the founder of Peaceful Wellness Institute where I create meditation courses, as well as trainings. And I also teach live classes in person and online and meditation has been a part of my life for a very, very long time.

What I’d like to share with you today is a five-minute practice that you can use anytime anywhere to help regain calm, clarity, and confidence. Something we probably need as we are fighting challenges and working on our Teachable site.

So to begin, just become as physically still as you can wherever you are and you can lie down or sit for this meditation. And just choose a posture where you’ll be as comfortable as possible and then you could just very lightly close your eyes or lower your gaze.

And bring your awareness to whatever is going on for you right now. Give the weight of your body up to gravity. And allow your weight to sink into the points of contact between your body and the floor, maybe the chair or the bed. And what sensations are there right now if you notice any tension or resistance towards painful or unpleasant sensations just gently turn towards them. Accept them as best as you can. If you begin to tense around the breath and let go a little more with each out breath.

Softening into gravity. Notice any thoughts as they arise and pass through the mind.

And see if you can let them come and go without identifying their content. Just observe them, observe them as if they were clouds in the sky.

Notice too any feelings and emotions as they arise. Can you let these come and go? Include everything within your awareness with a kind perspective. Now allow your awareness to gather around the experience of breath deep in the body. And drop your awareness inside the breath and feel the different sensations in the front, the back, and the sides of the torso. Can you feel your awareness within the flow and movement of the breath?

And use the breath to anchor your awareness in the present moment. Breathing in the body. Noticing each inhale and exhale, again and again. And each time you notice your mind has wandered, just gently guide the mind back to the breath deep in the body. And now gently expand your awareness to include the whole body. Feeling the weight and shape of the body as it sits or lies. Keep your awareness open. Cultivate acceptance of your experience. Using the breath to anchor your awareness in the present moment, breathing in the body. Noticing each inhale and exhale, again, and again. And then as you’re ready, you can make yourself aware of your surroundings and gently open your eyes. So I hope you enjoyed this mindfulness meditation. Thank you for joining with me.