Welcome to this Anapanasati mindfulness meditation to help you declutter your mind.
Anapanasati is an ancient Pali word which translates to mindful breathing.
And it is the quintessential form of meditation in Buddhism and a very impactful meditation for a lot of people.
So let's begin and just remember that you can do this at your own pace,
In your own time,
And I'll be here,
I'll be here to remind you when your thoughts arise.
So begin by gently closing your eyes.
Ensure that your back is straight and upright.
Your hands are comfortably by their sides.
And let's begin by noticing the breath.
Take note of the rhythm of your breath.
You're not trying to change the pace,
You're merely observing your breath.
Notice how deep each breath naturally is.
Great work.
I'd like you to now breathe in as slow and as deep as you possibly can.
And breathe out as slow and deep as you possibly can.
I'll give you a couple of minutes.
Deep breaths in and deep breaths out.
Notice the flow of the air as it transports through your nostrils.
And when thoughts arise,
Just take note of the thought.
You may label the thought.
And then go back,
When you're ready,
In your own time to your breath.
And when you're ready,
Just take note of the natural rhythm.
So go back to your natural rhythm of the breath.
Notice how the air feels when it brushes against your nostrils.
Take note of the temperature as you inhale.
Notice how it's a little cooler.
And when you exhale,
Notice how the air is a little warmer.
See if you can notice if one nostril is more blocked than the other.
Now focus your attention entirely on your left nostril.
Just focus on the air flowing in through your left nostril.
You don't have to touch your nose,
Just give it your attention.
Notice how the air in your left nostril feels as you naturally breathe in and out.
And notice how the air in your right nostril now feels.
Just focus entirely on the sensations of your right nostril.
Notice the texture of your breath now.
Whether it feels smooth,
Sharp,
Warm or cool.
Are there any sounds coming from your breath as you inhale and exhale in and out of your nostrils?
Focus on those sounds for a few moments.
Do your inhales and exhales sound different?
See if you can differentiate between the two.
And now try slowing your breath to the point where you cannot hear any sounds.
So just slow it down until you can't hear anything.
Nice,
Slow,
Deep breaths in and deep breaths out.
And remind that if the thoughts seep in,
That's perfectly normal.
That's what the mind does,
Just take note of the thought.
You may label it,
You may summarize a thought in a sentence.
And then when you're ready,
You gently go back to your breath.
Slow inhales and slow exhales.
Take note now of those moments in between inhaling and exhaling and exhaling and inhaling.
Those turning points,
Those transitions.
They may only last for a second.
Notice how you feel when you make the transition.
Is this urge or desire to switch?
How does that moment of switching feel?
Explore that for a few moments.
I'd like you to now take note of the entire journey of your breath.
Notice the air flowing in through your nose and filling up your lungs and your belly with much needed oxygen.
Notice the inflation of your body.
And when you exhale,
Notice the air leave your belly and your chest all the way through your throat and out of your mouth or nose.
And then notice how the body contracts when you exhale.
Pay close attention to the movements and to the journey of the breath.
Can you actually feel the air fill your body with oxygen?
Take note now of the sensations of the breath as you exhale through your nose.
Notice how the air may brush against your upper lip.
Can you feel that?
Notice how the slower you exhale through your nose,
The warmer the air is.
Notice how the inhales through the nose feel dry and the exhales through the nose feel a little more moist.
Now just go back to the natural rhythm of your breath.
If thoughts seep in,
Just take note of the thought.
Label the thought and gently go back to your breath.
See the breath's movements as like waves flowing into the shore and out of the shore.
In and out.
Now try breathing in circular motions.
Imagine your breath cycles being circular.
So when you transition from an inhale to an exhale,
That's one half of a circle.
And from an exhale to an inhale,
That's another half of a circle.
Just keep breathing in circular motions.
Now see if you can breathe in and out,
Creating a figure eight pattern,
Representing infinity.
Go back now to the sensations of the air flowing in and out of your nostrils.
Just relax your body,
Relax your jaw.
And together let's take a deep breath in through our nose.
Slowly exhale.
Relax as you breathe out.
When you've fully exhaled,
You may gently in your own time open your eyes and welcome back your physical surroundings.
I want to thank you for being a part of this Anapanasati meditation.
I want to wish you many more days of clarity and of peace and tranquility.
Sending you lots of love from my heart to yours.
Thank you.
