.
Sit tall.
Lengthen your spine.
Soften your face and soften your belly.
Allow your breath to settle as you bring your awareness to your breath.
Start to notice the sensations of the breath,
Especially its temperature.
Cooler as you inhale.
Warmer as you exhale.
Now redirect your breath at the back of your throat.
Give yourself a moment to get used to your breath moving in and out through your throat.
Feel the vibration at this location.
Notice a subtle inhale sound of your breath.
And if you listen closely,
You will notice that the sound of your breath is in fact a mantra.
So inhale is the sound SO.
The exhale is the sound HUM.
So as you inhale,
Hum as you exhale.
The mantra SO HUM is more than the sound of the breath.
It means I am.
I am that.
I am that which lies beyond the changing nature of my external circumstances.
I am that beyond my thoughts,
My emotions,
My sensations and my mood.
I am the awareness behind all changes.
I am that.
Another way to connect with I am that is through the experience of your existence.
As you sit here in stillness and hear SO HUM,
Contemplate the fact that in this moment I exist.
You may start to notice that the wonder of your existence is easier to grasp during those pauses at the top of the inhalation and at the bottom of the exhalation.
You will notice that over time,
The breath will become more subtle,
That it almost falls away.
It allows that to happen when it does.
Notice that the mantra SO HUM continues to unfold with an intelligence which is independent of the breath.
As the breath settles,
The mind becomes super still and your awareness withdraws from the breath.
Rest your awareness instead in the field of existence to which the breath arises and to which the breath returns.
I am that.
Gradually allow your breathing to deepen.
Notice the world around you.
When you feel ready,
Not a moment before,
Close out the practice in your own meaningful way.
Namaste.
