Hello and welcome.
Today,
We'll be practicing the primary foundation of meditation,
Exploring the physical sensations of breathing.
In this meditation,
You'll get to feel what it's like to be interested in your breath and find pleasure in its many sensations.
Above all,
Be curious about the sensations you notice and see how your experience changes as you bring attention to different dimensions of the breath.
As you continue to practice this,
You'll develop more and more sensory awareness of your breath and it'll become even more pleasurable.
Before we begin the meditation,
Take a moment to give yourself some credit for being here.
This skill will improve your life.
So congratulations on taking this time for your self-care.
And the best advice I can give you at the start is not to worry.
Don't worry if you're not doing this perfectly.
And also,
Don't worry if your mind has a lot of thoughts.
This meditation isn't about perfection or achieving emptiness.
It's about exploring the depths of our aliveness and being open to whatever arises.
So be kind to yourself.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable posture.
I recommend sitting upright but relaxed with your back supported and your feet flat on the ground if you are able.
Allow your eyes to be open with a low gaze or closed.
Whatever happens spontaneously.
As you begin to rest in the presence of your breath,
Your eyes will tend to close by themselves.
So don't force them shut.
If you take this gentle approach,
Then simply closing your eyes can feel like exquisite relief.
Allow your hands to gently fall in your lap or rest lightly on your thighs.
Lengthen your back to open your chest and relax your shoulders down.
And notice the support of the surface beneath you.
Notice also any obvious points of tension in your body and see if you can loosen those areas just a little bit.
Then take a few long breaths.
Breathing normally,
Guide your attention to your breath.
Notice how it moves in and out of your body.
It's rhythmic and sensuous.
The breath is always with us as long as we're alive.
Sense the breath as a gift to us from the larger world.
Consider the eons it took for the sun and our planet to create the oceans and forests of the world so that oxygen can move inside of our body,
Into our lungs,
Into our blood,
And into every cell.
To breathe is to say yes to life,
To renew an ongoing relationship we have with the entire universe in which we live and breathe.
If your mind starts to journey,
Know that it's natural.
Simply relax.
Enjoy the natural rhythm of your mind.
Then continue to explore the pleasure of breathing in and breathing out.
Now invite your sense of smell to greet your inhale.
Notice if there is a hint of scent in the air.
Even if there's nothing in the air to be smelled,
Rest your attention in your nose as your breath awakens your sense of smell.
Now explore the sense memory of your favorite scent,
A flower,
An essential oil,
The smell of cinnamon,
Or maybe it's coffee in the morning.
Imagine the sensations of breathing it in.
Inhale it slowly and savor the breath.
And you might say this phrase to yourself silently,
I can smell the breath.
Now begin to become aware of the movement of your breath.
Attend to its rhythm,
How it expands and contracts.
Feel how it weaves from the outside of your body to being drawn inside.
It enters through the tip of your nostrils,
Streams down your throat,
And expands into your lungs,
Diaphragm,
And abdomen.
Notice the pause at the end of the inhale,
Where it turns to flow out.
And pay attention to the sensations of the exhale.
At the end of the exhale,
You're completely empty and the cycle begins again.
Feel this natural rhythm of breathing.
Now start to play with the tempo,
Speeding up or stretching out the inhale,
Then exhaling more slowly or more quickly.
You may find you love the inhale more than the exhale,
Or vice versa.
Or you may love the transition at the end of the breath as it turns.
You might say silently to yourself,
I feel my breath moving.
Now let the sense of your touch meet your inhale.
Enjoy the soft touch of the air as it flows through the nose or mouth,
A silky caress to the back of your throat.
Then it softly touches the lungs,
Gently massaging and stretching your body from inside.
Notice where you feel the breath.
Notice the humidity or dryness in the air as you inhale,
And any changes in the humidity of your exhale.
You may repeat this phrase to yourself silently,
I feel the touch of my breath.
Now begin sensing the temperature of the air outside of your body.
Notice the difference in temperature from your body.
As you inhale and exhale,
Notice what cues inform you of its coolness or warmth.
You may say this phrase silently to yourself,
I can sense the temperature of my breath.
Now inviting your sense of vision,
Visualize one of your favorite colors.
Imagine breathing in the quality of that color.
You might visualize your breath as a colorful stream that swirls inside you and then flows out into the space around you.
You might say this phrase to yourself,
I can see my breath.
And now,
Consider the quiet sounds of your breathing.
Consider your breath as music,
Letting it become audible.
Hear the flow of air through your nose or mouth,
And play with the sound,
Blowing,
Panting,
Or sighing.
Now try keeping the mouth closed and hear the sound coming from your throat.
Gently constrict the back of your throat to create a kind of whisper or rushing sound,
Like the breath of someone sleeping,
Or the sound of ocean waves.
This is called ocean breath or Ujjayi breathing in yoga.
You may silently repeat to yourself,
I can hear my breath.
Imagine the breath as flowing from the whole world into your body and out again.
Notice any spaciousness or expansion in your body.
Listen to the extraordinary realms of sensation that open up.
Remember,
If you notice your mind journeys,
That's natural and okay.
When you're ready to,
Simply tune in to the pleasurable sensations of your breath.
Now rest your attention in the center of your heart.
Feel where the breath and the heart meet,
And welcome your breath from this place.
Celebrate the way the incoming air flows into the deep spaces inside you,
Refreshing you.
Now,
Just rest in the moment and space you're in,
And check in with your body.
How does it feel now compared to when you started this meditation?
And what about your mind?
Perhaps a bit more spacious or relaxed?
Take a long breath into your chest.
And whenever you feel ready,
Slowly blink open the windows of your eyes.
Breath awareness is such an important part of our practice,
And it can really help you see the benefits of meditation.
See if you can take the positive effects of this meditation with you today.
And continue to notice how this meditation impacts the rest of your day moving forward.
Thanks for joining me.
