Anchoring In The Breath

Anchoring in the Breath is a 10-minute guided mindfulness meditation to help you reconnect with the breath and invite in a sense of calm and relaxation. This meditation can be helpful with managing racing thoughts or rumination, connecting to the present moment, and improving your mind/body connection.

Music credit: Chris Collins

Transcript

Welcome. Thank you for taking some time with me to pause, Breathe, And gently return to yourself. I'll be guiding you through a 10-minute mindfulness meditation to get you more connected to the breath and invite a sense of calm and relaxation. This meditation can be useful for managing anxiety or racing thoughts by giving something stable and grounded for the mind to focus on. I'll be guiding you from beginning to end of this meditation with some gentle instruction to help you dive deeper into the practice. Let's journey together. Take a moment to get comfortable in any way that works best for you and your body. Whether you're lying down or sitting upright is up to you. Be in any position that supports relaxation while maintaining enough attention to focus on the breath. As you settle in, You may notice some areas of tightness or tension. If there's any tension you can easily release, Take a moment to do so now. Begin noticing where it's easiest to feel the breath. You might notice a temperature change in your nostrils, A rise and fall of the chest or belly, A swirling in the back of your throat, Or a general sense of expansion and contraction in the entire body. Whichever sensation feels most comfortable to notice, Try to track and stay with that sensation for the duration of this practice. Like an anchor keeping you grounded in the here and now. If you find it difficult to stay with these sensations, You can silently repeat to yourself inhale, Exhale, Inhale, Exhale. As you continue to breathe, Invite your mind and body into a deeper sense of relaxation and awareness, Allowing the rise and fall of the breath to be all that exists right now. It's natural for your mind to wander when you catch yourself following the thread of a thought, Gently, Kindly bring yourself back to the breath. With this heightened focus on the breath, You might notice more about it. Maybe you notice the beginning, Middle and end of the breath, The slight pause in between your inhale and exhale, The sounds that accompany the breath. You might challenge yourself to notice something new about the breath as you continue this practice. Your mind may have wandered again, And that's okay. Gently return to your anchor, The sensations of your nostrils, Throat, Chest or belly, Or repeating to yourself, Inhale, Exhale. Once we close this practice, Take a moment to notice how you feel in your body. Noticing how this intentional focus on the breath may have shifted your relationship to your body, Your thoughts, Your emotions. Take a moment to send gratitude for yourself for engaging in this practice. It may be using this newfound clarity to set a gentle intention for the rest of your day. Take one more slow nourishing breath and invite awareness back to your current time and space. Remember, You can return to this gentle breath awareness whenever you need.