Welcome to today's faith-based guided meditation.
I'm Lisa and today's meditation is going to be about concentration.
So we're going to practice cultivating concentration to achieve a sense of calm and stillness.
As we begin this prayer meditation,
Father I pray that you would lead us and guide us.
So let's begin by settling yourself into a nice and comfortable position.
Allow your body to rest in a position that is relaxed and yet alert.
Rest your hands either in your lap or on your knees and when you are ready,
Close your eyes.
Notice if there is any tension in your body and allow these areas to soften as we will now begin to deepen the breath.
Take a deep,
Long breath in through the nose,
Hold,
And then a long,
Deep breath out through the mouth.
And again,
Taking a long,
Deep breath in and a long,
Deep breath out.
Releasing the air slowly,
Noticing the urge to rush and just letting it go.
And now allow the breath to return to its natural,
Soothing rhythm.
When you are ready,
We will begin to practice awareness of the breath,
Focusing on the triangular area around the nose,
The pathway of the nose,
The nostrils,
And the upper lips.
On your next inhale,
Feel the physical sensation of the air coming in through your nostrils.
Notice how it feels against the wall of your nose.
Where do you feel the sensation?
The feeling of breath may be more subtle here.
Observe if the temperature of the incoming breath is different from that of the outgoing breath.
Notice the breath is slightly warmer on the way out.
And try taking a deep breath to see what is present for you.
When you observe the physical sensations of the breath,
Such as the touch of the air,
Notice how long it lasts.
Just be curious about the breath.
Explore its character with gentle curiosity for a few moments now.
You may experience other sensations such as contracting,
Expanding,
Throbbing,
Tickling,
Or tingling.
Become aware that sensations change from moment to moment.
They are coming and going.
Observe where you experience these sensations and how long they last.
There is no need to label the sensations.
Simply observe in a friendly manner.
And if you find yourself feeling multiple sensations at once,
Pay attention to the more subtle ones.
And if the mind wanders,
Return your attention to the direct experience of the breath.
And be patient with yourself and your body,
Noticing the experience of the busy mind and letting go of whatever tries to capture your attention.
Instead,
Focus on God,
Focus on your faith.
Let the peace of the Lord bring you stillness.
And over time,
You will train your mind to naturally return to the breath once you notice yourself becoming distracted.
Go ahead and try this counting exercise on your own,
Going at a pace that is comfortable for you.
Now we will do a breathing exercise by counting our breathing cycles.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Count one.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Exhale.
Count two.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Count three.
And continue to count all the way to ten.
Remaining fully aware during this process is a very powerful training and concentration.
Be patient with yourself and don't get frustrated if you become distracted.
It's perfectly normal.
So if at any point you notice that your thoughts have strayed,
Even just for a second,
Come back to one and start again.
Over time,
It will become easier to reach ten.
So just spend a few moments on your own,
Counting the breathing cycles,
And remember,
You don't have to reach ten.
What matters is becoming aware every time you get distracted and bringing your mind back to its main focus,
To laying your burden down before the Lord.
And as we begin to close this practice,
Bring your attention back to the body.
How does your body feel?
Are there any sounds around you?
What are the sensations of the clothes or air on your skin?
Feel where your feet or body make contact with the ground and slowly begin to move your toes and fingers.
Move your head from side to side,
And remember,
You can always access this gentle focus place again by refocusing for a few moments on your breath,
Just allowing God's peace to fill your body.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for this prayer meditation.
In your name we pray,
Amen.
