Counting The Breath Meditation

This grounding meditation gently guides you into a comfortable, upright posture, helping you settle the body and bring awareness to the present moment. You’ll begin by noticing the natural flow of your breath through the nose and the rise and fall of the belly, allowing tension to soften without trying to change anything.
From here, you’ll use a simple counting technique—one on the inhale, two on the exhale—gradually building a steady rhythm up to ten, then beginning again. This structure helps quiet the mind, ease anxiety, and improve focus.
When thoughts arise, you’re encouraged to notice them, let them pass, and gently return to the breath.
Ideal for sleep, relaxation, or a calming reset during the day, this practice offers a simple way to centre yourself—one breath at a time.

Transcript

Let's start by getting into a comfortable position, Sitting on a chair or crossed-legged on the floor. You want to make sure you are on your sitting bone in an upright position. Feet are flat on the floor and legs in a triangular position providing a solid foundation for our posture. Our hands are facing downwards on our thighs or in a cupped position on our lap. We are now going to tilt our chin downwards as if you had a tiny spool between your chest and your chin. So the neck is long, The spine elongated at the crown of your head. Now we sway our body from left to right to find alignment and a natural central position. This is more about comfort and to make sure you are not leaning one way more than the other. Take your time to get your posture right and be comfortable. It takes a lot of mindfulness to find your comfortable position so in a way we have already started our meditation. This is the beauty of preparing in the right way. Relax your body. Become aware of the breath in your nose, Ensure you are breathing in and out of your nose. Watch the breath flow naturally. Don't worry if you notice tension, Be aware of it and accept it. See if you can notice any areas of tension in your body. Choose the easiest to notice yourself and bring your awareness to that area. Feel the pressure releasing from the area. Now bring your awareness into your belly. Watch the breath rising and falling in your belly. There is nothing to change. Now we are anchoring our awareness onto the breath. As you breathe in count 1, As you breathe out count 2, As you breathe in count 3, As you breathe out count 4, As you breathe in count 5, As you breathe out count 6, Do this all the way up to 10, As you breathe in count 7, As you breathe out count 8, As you breathe in count 9, As you breathe out count 10. Now start on 1 again. Thoughts and feelings will arise when you do this practice, Allow them to come up, Accept them, Allow them to fade away and return to the breath. 1 on the in-breath, 2 on the out-breath, 3 on the in-breath, 4 on the out-breath, 1 on the in-breath, 2 on the out-breath, 3 on the in-breath, 4 on the out-breath, 5 on the in-breath. It does not matter how many times we get distracted, We turn to 1 and continue counting. We train the brain to gain concentration with this practice, Concentration and mindfulness. 1 on the inhale, 2 on the exhale, 3 on the inhale, 4 on the exhale, Calm, Relaxed. Allow thoughts to arise, Let go and fade away. No matter what comes up, Keep counting the breath and start. 1 on the inhale, 2 on the exhale, 3 on the inhale, 4 on the exhale, Calm, Relaxed. Allow thoughts to arise, Let go and fade away. No matter what comes up, Keep counting the breath and start. 1 on the inhale, 2 on the exhale, All the way up to 10, Then start again. 1 on the inhale. Now start to gently move your fingers, Start to move your toes, Sway from left to right like we did in the beginning. Reactivate your body, Gently and slowly at your own pace. Open your eyes and come back to the present moment. Make sure you spend your next 5 minutes writing down whatever comes up onto your meditation diary. Thank you.