Find a comfortable position.
Close the eyes if that feels safe and comfortable where you are,
Or you can lower your gaze or soften your focus.
Bringing awareness into the body,
Maybe starting with how your feet feel on the floor.
Can wiggle the shoulders,
Settle in.
Notice how the body feels.
Notice if any part of your body is calling for awareness,
Calling for attention and you can just rest some non-judgmental awareness on that body part.
You might notice your posture,
You can roll your neck,
Let the tongue drop from the roof of the mouth,
Bringing to mind any intentions you have for this practice and then just letting those intentions be.
Bringing awareness to the breath now.
Notice the belly rising and falling with each breath.
You might say in and out or up and down with each breath.
Any cadence,
Any depth is fine,
Whatever feels natural and comfortable.
Noticing the sensations of the clothes against your skin and how the belly feels as it fills with air and then relaxes and the air escapes.
Moving up a little,
Noticing how the air feels in the lungs and your chest as they fill and empty of air.
Becoming aware of all the sensations of the chest.
The way the back feels as it fills and relaxes.
The way your chest feels,
The skin and even internally.
How does it feel to breathe?
Moving up again,
Noticing the air in the nostrils and the mouth.
You can breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Both in and out through the nose or both in and out through the mouth.
Whatever is comfortable and you're just noticing how the air feels on the way in and how it feels on the way out.
Focusing your awareness on the sensations of breath in the nostrils or the mouth.
The coolness on the way in,
The warmth on the way out.
And keep cycling.
Now your awareness from the nose as you follow the air into the chest and the belly and that pause at the bottom of your breath.
And then as everything relaxes and you push the air out,
Reversing your awareness,
Following the breath from the belly through the chest and out through the mouth and nose.
And again,
Noticing the pause there.
And letting your awareness just cycle with the breath.
Whenever the mind wanders,
You just simply bring it back to the breath wherever it is.
Noticing how the body feels as you keep your awareness trained to the breath.
And when you're ready,
You can take a few more breaths.
Come on back.
Opening the eyes.
Feel free to write down any reflections.
Notice your stress level before and after.
And write down any insights or openings or how you feel now.
