Returning To The Breath

In this short meditation, recorded live at an Introduction to Meditation course in Denver, CO, you'll be guided through a brief body scan and directed to follow the breath. As meditation is simply about returning, over and over again, to the breath, body, and present moment, you'll practice noticing when you are lost in thought, noting "thinking" and coming back to the breath.

Be well and much Love!

Transcript

Welcome. Let's arrive with a little bit of practice. Closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths in whatever way feels most cleansing and nourishing to you. Maybe softening the shoulders, Softening the jaw with each out-breath, Just softening a little bit more. And after your next deep breath, Just allowing your breath to come to its own natural rhythm. As you shift into the energy of a mindful attention, Intentional, Present, Curious, Non-judgmental. As you start to come into touch with the feeling, The felt sensation of the body sitting here. Feeling the weight of gravity, Noticing the points of contact as your legs and feet and bottoms make contact with the cushion or the mat. And allowing your attention to drift down to your feet, Bringing curiosity to the sensations there. Not needing to change anything or to label anything, But just to notice. Notice the shape of the feet, Maybe notice the temperature, And then we're gonna gently scan up through the body. It's helpful you can imagine a spotlight shining on your feet and moving up through the body as you direct your attention to the different sensations. Moving up through your ankles, Your calves and shins, Your knees, Upper legs, Fronts, The backs, Sides, The hips, The low back and stomach, Mid-back, Solar plexus, The chest and upper back, Shoulders, Upper arms, Elbows, Forearms, The wrists, Hands, Fingers. Moving back up the arms to the neck, Noticing the sensations in the throat, Up to the head, The back of the head, Noticing the sensations in the face, Forehead, Eyes, Cheeks, Jaw. Moving up to the top of the head, The scalp, And then opening your awareness now to feel the whole body sitting here. The head, Neck, Shoulders, Arms, Torso, Hips, Upper, Lower legs, And feet. Feeling the whole body sitting here as you arrive more fully into the present moment and start to notice your breath. Starting to follow the movement of the in-breath, Follow the movement of the out-breath, Allowing the breath to be however it is, Whether it's long or shallow, Smooth or jagged. Bringing in acceptance, Bringing in kindness to your awareness of the breath, And allowing yourself to settle into the rhythm of the breath. And for the next few moments practicing our noting technique, Noticing any time that thoughts have distracted you, And just gently noting, Ah, Thinking, And shifting your attention back to the felt experience of the breath breathing itself. One breath at a time. Always just returning to the breath, Gently, Kindly, No need for judgment. Just coming home to this breath, This moment. And wherever you are now, Just gently coming back to the breath and the body. Starting to connect with the other senses, Noticing the sounds in the room, Beyond the room. Noticing any light shining through closed eyelids. And in your own time, The intention to maintain this connection to breath, To body, To the present moment. Opening your eyes and slowly coming back into the room.