Hello,
And welcome to this Mindfulness of Breath meditation.
Thank you for being here.
The breath is an anchor to the present moment as it's always available,
And so whatever is going on for us in our lives,
We can return to our breath over and over,
And this helps us to sustain a practice of mindfulness and meditation.
It's the first foundation of mindfulness.
So let's settle into this moment by finding a comfortable posture.
It could be sitting on a cushion or a chair,
Or perhaps lying down.
Whatever best suits you in this moment.
If you feel safe,
Allow your eyes to gently close.
Let's begin by just paying attention to the natural rhythm of the breath.
Notice the flow of movement,
The center of the chest,
Or at the base of the belly,
With each inhale and each exhale.
If you're feeling particularly restless or unable to concentrate,
It's perfectly okay to start where you are by just following the breath in and out.
This breath,
And now this breath.
With curious attention,
You might find where the breath draws your attention most.
Maybe it's at the nostril,
Or it might be at a softened belly.
Just stay here and notice the inhale as your marvelous lungs fill with rich oxygenated air,
Followed by the exhale as you expire the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Rest in gratitude at the beauty of our amazing body as our heart and lungs work in unity.
If feeling the breath is difficult,
I invite you to place a hand on your chest or on your abdomen and feel the rise and fall as you gently breathe in and out.
Take several deeper breaths here,
Right now.
If you're unable to take a deep breath,
Perhaps just focus on the speed of the breath and counting to four on both the inhale and the exhale.
If your mind wanders,
As it naturally will,
Just gently bring your attention back to the breath,
Your anchor for refocusing.
As Thich Nhat Hanh says,
Breathing in,
I know I'm breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know I'm breathing out.
Peace and calm can be found in the breath at any moment.
You might experience tension or discomfort somewhere in the body.
You might want to explore these areas as you calmly breathe in and out.
Just notice the sensations with kindness and ask yourself,
Can I be with this?
Imagine as you inhale a cleansing of this discomfort and as you exhale,
Releasing it as much as you can imagine.
As you concentrate on your breath,
Welcome a whole body relaxation from head to toe.
Still allow the mind to unwind and be free from thought as your breathing moves like a weightless floating cloud.
Breathing in,
I feel calm.
Breathing out,
I am at ease.
In these last few moments,
Try to pay close attention to the start of each inhale.
Admire the space at the peak of a full deep breath and then just notice the release of air upon exhalation,
Just as you would notice the release of things as we can let go of and all this that we hold.
And letting go of this practice,
Feel free to move around,
Wiggling your toes or your fingers and coming back into this space.
And if your eyes are closed,
Feel free to open them.
Thank you for your practice.
Namaste.
