Meditation with awareness to the breath.
This guided meditation on the breath will help you to learn simply to be with your breath,
Without changing it,
Without adjusting it,
Just feeling and focusing on your breathing.
You either can do this exercise in a sitting position,
But if you prefer you can also lay down.
In case you're sitting,
Please make sure you can bring up your spine straight,
But without forcing it in a stiff position,
Just straight,
So your belly has got some space for moving,
For the breathing.
When you're ready,
Try to bring in all your awareness to your body.
Just be,
Sit still or lay still.
Just feel your body while you turn inwards to yourself.
Perhaps when you're ready you can scan through your body,
Your legs,
Your torso,
The back side of your torso,
The front side of your torso,
Your shoulders,
Your arms and your head,
And just ask yourself,
What is your actual physical condition?
Do you feel alright,
Full of energy or tired?
Are there spots of discomfort or pain or tension?
Just try to get fully aware of your physical condition while you're scanning through your body.
And in case you come across some physical discomfort or tension,
Perhaps you can take a deep breath with your nose,
Breathing in,
And with the out-breath perhaps you can let go of the tension.
And then I would like to invite you to bring all your awareness to your head,
Your mind.
What can you acknowledge around your mental condition right now?
Are you focused or alert?
Are you sharp?
Or is your mind blurry?
Or is your mind crowded of thoughts?
So what can you acknowledge around your mind situation about your status quo on your mind?
And perhaps your mind or your thoughts have impact on your mood.
You can bring all your awareness to your current moods.
So what is your mood?
Or are there any emotions in this present moment?
And then I would like to invite you to bring all your awareness and attention to your breathing.
Perhaps you can focus around your nose and just watch and observe the in-breath and the out-breath around your nose.
Breathing in around your nose,
Perhaps you feel the breath in the back of your throat,
You feel how your lungs get filled,
Slowly inflating.
With the out-breath,
Your lungs are deflating,
And perhaps you can feel the breath around your nose while the air is streaming out of your nose.
Breathing in and breathing out in your own rhythm,
And there's no need to adjust your breathing in any kind of pattern or structure.
Just observe your breath as it is.
Perhaps you might have some thoughts about your breathing should be or supposed to be.
However,
Just recognize that your mind is thinking,
Perhaps having a judgmental thought about your breathing.
Just observe the fact that you are actually thinking,
And when you notice it,
You simply bring back all your awareness to your breath.
No need for changing anything around your breath.
Your body knows exactly how much air or oxygen it needs.
It will adjust it by itself,
So you don't need to manipulate it.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Simply following the flow of your breathing.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
And in case you observe that you try to manipulate your breathing,
Perhaps you can focus on the sensations around your breathing.
For example,
Feeling cold air streaming into your nose,
Feeling the sensations around your nose,
Back in the throat.
Perhaps you feel the tension around your chest while inflating.
You feel the relief while your chest or lungs are deflating.
Just observe the sensations around the breathing.
Just be with your breath.
With whatever feelings and sensations come up in any moment,
Without judging them,
Without reacting to them,
Just being fully here,
Fully aware.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Perhaps you notice that your mind is wondering.
Just bring it back gently,
Mild,
Without any judgment.
Just be aware it's the task of your brain,
Thinking,
Analyzing.
So no need to be frustrated or irritated if your mind is wondering.
Just simply bring it back.
You always can start all over again with the awareness of your breath.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Just sitting or laying with the feeling of being with your breathing.
Moment to moment.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
And with every breath,
Fresh oxygen enters your body,
Spread it via your lungs to every part of your body.
Relax your arm,
Your torso and your head,
Energized with oxygen,
Refreshing your body from inside out.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
No need to be anywhere,
No objectives.
Just be with your breath as it is.
And sometimes you also can look at the qualities of your breathing.
Perhaps you're pausing between the in-breaths and the out-breaths.
Perhaps your breathing is one flow.
Just observe the qualities of your breathing,
No matter if it's shallow or deep,
Fast or slow.
Just observe it without judgment,
How it's supposed to be,
Just as it is.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
And allowing your body to become still.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Your breathing can be an anchor,
An anchor you always can turn your awareness to,
An anchor always there in the present.
And if you find yourself at any point drawn into a stream of thinking,
And you notice that,
You're no longer observing the breath,
Just using your breathing and the sense of your body to anchor you and stabilize you in the present.
Breathing in,
Breathing out in your own rhythm,
Your own speed.
No need for adjusting it as it is.
Feeling all sensations around the breathing.
And then I would like to invite you to expand your awareness to your whole body.
Becoming aware of your sitting or laying position of the body.
Fully aware yourself as a breathing body.
And then also coming to a closure of this exercise.
Slowly try to expand your awareness and everything outside your body.
Open yourself up to sensations outside your body,
Such as sounds,
Light or noises.
And then take your time to finish this exercise in your own rhythm.
