Welcome to this mindful breath based meditation.
I'm Alexis and I'll be your guide.
During our practice,
We will be exploring our awareness or attention of the breath by mindfully exploring three important areas of the body where sensation of breath is typically felt.
These three areas are considered the lower breath.
These three areas are considered the lower torso or lower abdomen,
The mid torso or diaphragm area,
And the upper torso area.
This is where the heart and the upper lobes of the lungs are.
To begin our practice together,
I'd like you to come into a comfortable seated position.
This can be seated in a chair with your feet on the floor,
Hands resting in your lap,
Or you can choose to sit on the floor crossing your legs,
Perhaps putting a meditation cushion underneath your seat.
And it is important that your spine is straight,
Your body relaxed,
And your mind alert.
As you make your way into a comfortable seat,
Begin by taking a few deep breaths to relax and center.
Let the eyes be soft,
Cheeks relaxed.
Let go of any tension in the jaw,
Neck,
And shoulders.
Allow your breathing to be as simple now as it wants to be.
Let it be a natural,
Gentle,
Easy flow of breath.
We are not controlling our breath in any way.
We're just watching the breath with a sense of curiosity,
The same way we would watch waves of the ocean lapping up onto shore.
Now continue to observe your breath as I talk to you.
I'd like you to move your attention down to your lower abdomen by placing your hands onto your navel or onto your belly center.
Notice your breath here.
Notice any movement here as you breathe in and out.
You may experience movement here as a subtle expansion and contraction.
If you like,
You can imagine a small balloon inside,
No larger than an orange,
Inflating as you inhale and deflating as you exhale.
Pay attention to movement around the sides of your waist,
Lower back,
And pelvic floor.
Now if you are struggling to feel into these areas,
Don't worry.
Just allow yourself to be open and as non-analytical as you can be,
Just experiencing your body and your breath as it is.
And now we're going to move our attention up the body by sliding both hands out of the body.
This is known as the mid-rib area or diaphragm area.
You can place your hands around the front of your ribs,
Somewhere between the navel center and the sternum,
Or you can bring your hands around to the sides of your rib cage,
Gently beginning to deepen your breath.
Notice your movement here.
This is where the solar plexus is,
And it is the home of the diaphragm.
Noticing the movement of the breath here.
Perhaps there's an outward and inward movement that is akin to an accordion or the gills of a fish.
Moving your attention up the body again by bringing both hands all the way up to the chest.
You can rest your hands over your heart if you'd like.
Notice your breath here in the upper portion of the torso.
Feel into the shoulders,
The upper back,
The shoulder blades.
Feel into the space beneath the armpits,
Just expanding your awareness here around the whole upper portion of your torso.
Noticing how the chest rises and falls as you breathe in and out.
And now release your hands.
Take a moment to relax.
Notice how your chest rises and falls as you breathe in and out.
And now release your hands.
Take a moment to relax your body as you prepare to open your mind for a deeper understanding of your breathing.
Letting go of any expectations of yourself,
Of this practice,
Or of your breath.
Allow each breath now to be your teacher.
Allow each breath now to be your teacher.
You might ask this question,
What is my breath trying to tell me about my current state of being?
Slowly bring your attention back into the room.
And when it feels appropriate,
Open up your eyes.
Take a moment to notice how it felt to bring a mindful attention to your breath.
Did you discover anything new?
What was the quality of your thoughts?
Is there a sense of peacefulness or relaxation?
What was your experience like?
You have just explored three important areas of the body that make you feel more comfortable.
You have just explored three important areas of the body,
The lower torso,
Mid ribs,
And upper torso.
This awareness practice is an excellent practice for bringing a sense of calm and peace to the mind.
And it's also a great preparatory practice for pranayama or breathing exercises.
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful practice and energy with me.
Namaste.
