Cultivating Stillness: A Breath-Focused Meditation

This guided meditation invites you to settle into stillness, let go of tension, and tune into the natural flow of your breath. With gentle body awareness, three-part breathing, and mindful counting, you’ll cultivate a sense of presence and ease. If the mind wanders, simply notice without judgement and gently return to the breath, allowing thoughts, emotions, and sensations to come and go with openness.

Transcript

Hi, Welcome to this guided meditation. This will be a chance to pause, Breathe and reconnect with yourself. Together we will explore the breath as an anchor for presence, Inviting relaxation, Focus and a deep sense of simply being. Start by finding a comfortable position, Sitting on a chair with your feet flat on the ground or seated on the floor with a cushion for your support. Let your hands rest gently in your lap, Gently soften the gaze or close down the eyes if that feels comfortable. Take a moment to settle in. Allow yourself to arrive fully into this moment. There is nothing else to do, Nowhere else to be for the next little while. Simply allowing yourself to be present, Completely and non-judgmentally. Gently bring awareness to your body and notice the natural weight of your body, How it's resting on the surface beneath you and just let yourself be held. Take a gentle breath in and as you exhale, Soften and relax the body and mind. Relax the shoulders, Letting them drop away from the ears, Unclench the jaw. Let go of any tension in the body as you release any areas of tightness, Softening the arms, Back, Belly and legs. Feel your spine lengthen naturally, The crown of your head lifting slightly as your body settles into stillness. Now bring your attention to the breath and notice where you feel it most clearly. It could be the rise and fall of the belly, The expansion of the chest or the sensation of the air moving in and out through the nose. There is no need to change anything, Just observing. And just for briefly, Let's explore the breath in three parts. A slow inhale, Feeling the belly expand, Then the ribcage, Then the upper chest. A gently pause on the top and a soft exhale, Allowing everything to release. And again, Inhale, Belly, Ribcage, Upper chest, Pause, And exhale, Upper chest, Ribcage, Belly. And one more time, In your own time, Just moving with ease. Now let the breath return to its natural rhythm, No effort, No need to control, Just letting the breath flow naturally. Now we will begin to focus the mind, Counting each breath from one to ten. So we will inhale, Count one, Exhale, Count two, Inhale, Three, And so on. Just continue breathing and counting your breaths from one to ten. And if the mind wanders and you lose count, Just simply notice it and begin again at one. There is no judgement, Just returning to the count. If the mind drifts, That's okay, Just gently guide your awareness back to the breath and return to counting your breaths. And now, Release the count and let it all go. Release any effort, Just be. Simply notice any feelings, Emotions, Or sensations that arise. There is nothing to change, Nothing to push away. Just witnessing with kindness, Curiosity, And ease. If the mind drifts, Gently guide your awareness back to the breath and then return to this space of simply being. When you are ready, Bring your awareness back gently to the body. Feel the surface beneath you, The points of contact, The weight of your body resting. Take a couple of deeper breaths, Slowly and gently. Let's take one more breath in together, A deep inhale and a long, Soft exhale out. And just notice how you feel now, After this practice. And when you are ready, Gently bring yourself back to the present moment and welcoming yourself fully into the here and now.