Hello,
My name is Alex Coneto and I'm a San Francisco based meditation and yoga teacher.
One of my favorite things to teach is the basics of meditation because meditation is so simple when we get down to the root of it.
Yet we are human and love to make things more complex.
Maybe that makes things seem more impressive,
I don't know,
But it often turns meditation into something intimidating.
So I'm going to strip it down in a way that really helps me understand how to meditate by focusing on two simple things.
The first thing to remember is that everything you experience is still a part of your meditation.
So the thoughts,
Sounds,
Feelings,
Sensations,
All of that is still meditation.
You are not being taken out of your meditation in these experiences so there's no need to beat yourself up when they arise.
I feel like that's something us beginning meditators often do is really beat ourselves up and think we're not doing something right.
It's about taking in these experiences,
Acknowledging them,
Maybe even sitting with them for a moment and then simply shifting your attention back to the breath.
So the second thing I like to remember is exactly that.
Just come back to the breath.
When in doubt,
Find the breath.
That's what I tell myself.
You're thinking about what you're going to eat for breakfast.
Great.
Yum.
Now let that float away and come back to the breath.
Or you hear your dog barking.
Lovely.
Allow that to be and come back to the breath.
It's as simple as that.
Meditation is about presence and awareness and you can take or leave all the rest.
So let's practice those two simple things together right now.
Go ahead and set yourself up in a comfortable position.
When I say comfortable,
I mean comfortable.
You don't need to sit cross-legged with your spine straight.
I recommend a chair where your feet can rest on the ground or maybe you're sitting against a wall.
Lower back support is really helpful here.
So get comfortable.
And let's begin by taking a long,
Slow,
Deep inhale through the nose together.
So inhale,
Feel the body fill up with the breath all the way up.
And exhale,
Softly let it out.
Now gently close the eyes,
Settling into this moment.
One more big breath just like we did.
Inhale,
Long,
Slow,
Deep breath,
Fill yourself up.
And exhale,
Let it go.
Begin by noticing how the breath flows in and out of the body,
The body intuitively knowing what to do.
Allow these breaths to be as slow as you like.
No need to force anything here.
Just letting it flow.
Notice how on each inhale,
The breath expands the front of the body,
Your chest,
Belly.
And on each exhale,
Your body slowly deflates and softens.
Find a few moments observing that process,
Following and watching the breath.
And if your mind starts to wander,
Lovingly acknowledge that it wandered and return the attention back to the natural flow of the breath for a few more moments.
When you're ready,
You can start to invite some movement back into the body.
Maybe wiggle the fingers or gently move the head side to side,
Taking a few moments here to wake up the body.
And now softly blink your eyes open,
Bringing your awareness back into the room.
Congratulations,
You just meditated.
Take a second to note how that felt in your body.
Do you feel more calm,
More relaxed,
Maybe lighter or more energized even?
Whatever you are feeling is all part of the experience.
And you can come back to this practice at any point in your day.
It doesn't have to be a 20-minute practice.
It can be as simple as 30 seconds.
Just coming back to the present moment,
Back to awareness,
Back to the breath.
These two things are always waiting for you,
And that's the breath and the present moment.
My name is Alex Gennado,
And I hope we get to meet again in the present moment.
