Hi this is Alexis and you are about to begin your mindful breathing space exercise.
This is a practical tool for implementing mindfulness into your daily routine.
Begin by finding a comfortable position in your body.
This might mean sitting onto a cushion with the legs crossed or maybe onto a chair.
In either case you'll want your spine to be long and straight,
Shoulders relaxed and at ease.
Take a nice deep breath in through your nose and as you sigh the breath out allow your eyes to close.
Bring your attention to your sense of hearing,
Noticing all the sounds that are around you,
Noticing sound that is outside of you.
And now I'd like you to shift your focus onto the internal.
You'll do this by focusing your awareness onto your thoughts,
Your emotions and your physical sensations in the body.
As you begin to pay attention I'd like you to ask yourself one question.
How am I doing right now?
As you notice thoughts in the mind I like you to describe them to yourself in a simple way.
For example if you're noticing some thoughts of doubt about your meditation or even self-critical thoughts then you'll say to yourself I am noticing some self doubt and critical thoughts.
Take a moment to just explore what's happening on the inside and do your best to bring a kind and gentle compassionate attitude towards your practice.
At times we may be met with some resistance as we discover what's happening on the inside.
If you are experiencing this it's okay to tell yourself that whatever is there is fine just the way it is.
Good and now I'd like for you to shift your focus onto the sensations of breathing at the tip of your nose.
Notice the air specifically around the nostrils as you breathe in and out.
It might behoove you to explore the temperature of the air.
Noticing how when you inhale through the nose the air feels crisp,
Cool,
Maybe even thin,
Icy.
And how when you exhale through the nose the air is a little warmer,
A little thicker,
Denser.
You might even be able to detect the touch of the breath on your upper lip.
Staying with the breath in this way.
Experiencing this breath and then the next.
Good and now I'd like for you to expand your awareness of breathing into the rest of your body.
Let your attention wash down the sides of your neck,
Spill over your shoulders and onto the torso of your body.
Noticing how when you breathe in there's a sense of expansion and how when you breathe out the body shrinks back and down.
Noticing the breath in your upper back,
Your chest,
Your heart.
Noticing the breath in the sides of your ribcage and your lungs.
Noticing the breath in your mid-back,
Lower back,
The sides of your waist and your belly center.
Stay with the breath.
Just this breath and then the next.
And now from time to time the mind will wander.
It's inevitable and completely normal.
You can look at this as just part of your mindfulness experience.
The mind will get distracted and start to think about something other than the sensations of breathing.
It's okay when this happens.
What you'll do is acknowledge that the mind is somewhere else and then you can decide if you want to entertain the distractions for a little bit.
But eventually you're going to gently but firmly bring your attention back to your breath either at the nose or in the body.
Over and over again bringing your attention back to the sensations of breathing.
Over and over again bringing yourself back to this moment and then the next moment.
Well done.
You can let go of your concentration now.
Take a moment to tune in to how you're feeling.
Checking in with your mind and your body,
Ask yourself that question again.
How am I doing right now?
Take note of any shifts,
Any changes,
Being curious about your practice and the imprint that the practice has on you.
Now bring your palms together in front of your heart,
Feeling the connection there between your hands.
Tune into your heart space and take a moment to thank the part of yourself who brought you here to this meditation today.
Namaste.
