Hello beautiful humans.
My name is Shandi and thank you for joining me in this guided breath awareness meditation.
This meditation can be practiced any time of the day but especially when you're feeling a bit activated.
Maybe you're stuck in rumination and you need to come back to the present moment.
Now let's get cozy.
Come into a comfortable seat.
You can be sitting on the floor,
Sitting on a chair or you could even be lying down.
Either way just get as comfortable as you can.
Allow your shoulders to be soft.
Oftentimes when we're in a stress pattern our shoulders will climb up to our ears.
Let's show our nervous system some love.
Just allowing your shoulders to melt down.
It's a signal of safety to the nervous system.
Now feel this softness throughout your entire body.
Have your hands palms face down on your thighs and allow your eyes to soften and close if that feels good for you.
Remember this is your practice.
Release any thoughts from earlier today or any anticipation of the future and simply bring your awareness to your breath.
Notice that you are breathing.
Observe the ebb and the flow of your breath.
And for the next few moments just continue this observation of your natural breath.
Simply observing your inhalation and your exhalation without trying to shift it or change it in any way.
Just focus on your natural breath without wanting anything to be any different than how it is right now.
Simply observe your breath.
Notice the movement of your breath.
Notice how your breath moves into your body and how your breath moves out.
And recognize that your breath is breathing you.
Now paying a little closer attention to your breath.
Observe if it feels fast or if it feels slow.
Notice the tempo of your breath.
There's no right or wrong.
You're just simply deepening your awareness of your breath.
Now observe if your breath feels shallow or if it feels deep.
Notice that part in your body where your breath begins and the space where it returns back to.
And if your mind wanders off at any point during your practice,
That's okay.
Just simply observe that your mind has wandered off and effortlessly come back to your breath.
There's no need to create a story.
Just simply come back to the breath every time.
Back to the breath.
Back to this present moment.
Observe the different parts of your body that move as you inhale and the parts that move as you exhale.
Observe the gentle rising of your chest and belly as you inhale and how it lowers as you exhale.
Just keep observing the body in this way.
How the body responds to the movement of your breath.
Again,
If your mind wanders off,
Just come back to your breath.
It's okay.
Now take your awareness to the movement of your belly.
Observe the gentle rising and falling of your belly as you breathe.
That gentle expansion as you inhale and the softening back to center as you exhale.
Continue to observe the movement of your belly in this way.
Observe the belly rising and the belly falling.
The expansion and then the softening.
Now take your awareness to the sensation of the breath as it gently flows in and out of your nostrils.
Notice the sensation as the breath gently brushes over your upper lip.
And perhaps you can notice the difference in temperature of the breath.
The slight coolness when the breath comes in through your nostrils and the warmth as the breath comes out.
Simply keep your awareness rested on your breath.
This brings us back to the present moment.
Observe the natural rhythm of your own breath.
Your inhale and your exhale.
Making sure that your shoulders remain soft and your spine long.
Observing the expansion of your whole body as you inhale and the softening and grounding as you exhale.
There's no need to shift or change anything in any way.
You are just as you are.
Your breath is perfect just the way it is.
Your autonomic nervous system knows exactly what to do and it breathes for you 20 to 25,
000 times a day.
Let's take a moment to feel gratitude for our breath and all that it does for us every single day.
Simply allowing the breath to be exactly as it is.
Rest your awareness on this ever-present life force that flows through us.
Observing your inhale and observing your exhale and cultivating gratitude for your breath and for this present moment.
Now take yourself through five more rounds of breath awareness.
Staying present to each and every breath as it flows in effortlessly and as it flows out effortlessly.
And when you take your very last exhalation,
Very gently begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes,
Coming back to the room,
To the space you're in.
And in your own time,
Slowly opening up your eyes.
Maybe do a little orienting,
Looking around the room,
Orienting yourself back to the here and now.
And then maintaining this sense of calmness,
Of centeredness and groundedness as you continue with your day.
And remember,
You can always come back to the breath at any time.
Thank you.
