Welcome to this mindfulness breathing meditation.
Firstly,
I want to applaud you for showing up for yourself today and for doing what is best for you.
We tend to get caught up in helping other people and neglecting our own needs.
So,
Well done.
This meditation is something that you can implement on a regular basis.
It requires nothing other than a seat or a bed and just a few minutes of your time.
You can take the methods and techniques from this and implement them into your daily meditation.
I'd like to preface this meditation by reminding you to not set any expectations.
Just take it as it comes and focus on each movement in the moment.
Also,
You'll notice that thoughts will be arising and sweeping through.
And that is fine.
That is perfectly normal.
When you notice that happening,
Just take note of those thoughts.
And then,
When you're done exploring them,
You may gently go back to the meditation.
And that may happen multiple times.
And just know that each time it happens,
You grow as a meditator.
So,
Let's begin.
Find yourself seated comfortably with your back upright but not too rigid and your hands comfortably positioned.
You may also lie down,
But that may make you fall asleep.
And start with a deep breath in,
As deep as you possibly can.
When you're ready in your own time,
Slowly exhale.
Just relax your muscles as you do so.
You may gently close your eyes.
I'd just like you to notice where the breath is felt most distinctly.
How do you feel the breath through your nose,
Your mouth,
Your chest,
Your belly,
Shoulders?
Where do you notice the breath?
Take a few moments to explore this.
Just breathe naturally.
And you'll notice that thoughts may already be seeping in.
That's fine.
It's perfectly normal.
Just take note of those thoughts.
And gently,
When you're ready,
You can go back to your breath.
Just again,
Experience where the breath is felt.
And now I'd like you to examine the pace of your breath.
The natural rhythm.
Do not try to change the rhythm or the pace.
You're merely observing it to witness the breath.
Just the natural rhythm of the breath.
And if thoughts are seeping in,
Again,
Just take note of those thoughts.
Notice what happens when you do.
And when you're ready,
Gently go back to examining the pace and rhythm of your breath.
I'd like you to notice the depth of each breath.
Just examine how deep each breath naturally is.
Again,
You don't have to alter it or change the depth.
You're merely observing it as a bystander.
Take your time.
There's no rush.
Noticing the depth of each inhale and exhale.
Keep the pace as it usually is.
No changing yet.
Well done.
Now I'd like you to notice those turning points in between each breath.
Those moments,
Those slight mini micro pauses in between inhaling and exhaling and exhaling and inhaling.
Just pay attention to those moments,
Those turning points,
Those few very little seconds of pauses.
Just notice your body's natural need to switch.
And now I'd like you to feel the air brushing into your nose as you inhale.
And then notice it leave your nose as you exhale.
Just examine the raw sensation of this.
The air brushing through your nostrils and then the air leaving your nostrils.
You don't have to change the pace or the depth.
You're merely examining those sensations.
There's no rush.
You know what to do when thoughts come in.
You just take note of the thought and then go back when you're ready to feeling the air flowing in and out of your nostrils.
Notice the temperature of the air as you inhale it in.
Notice how it's a little cool.
And then when you exhale,
Just notice how the temperature is a little warmer.
Just take a moment to notice this.
And now inhale through your nose and again notice the temperature.
And then exhale through your mouth slowly.
See if you can feel the air leave your mouth as you exhale.
In through your nose and out through your mouth slowly.
Noticing the warm air brush against your lips.
Next I'd like you to just pay attention to your chest.
Notice how your chest moves with each inhale and exhale.
When you breathe in,
Your chest inflates.
And when you exhale,
It deflates.
Notice how the skin stretches as you inhale and how it shrivels when you exhale.
Just examine the movements of the chest.
Well done.
Now I'd like you to just notice your belly as it rises and falls with each inhale and exhale.
Notice how your belly inflates like a balloon when you breathe into it and then deflates when the air leaves.
Just follow through with the journey of the air as you breathe it in through your nose.
And it goes into your belly,
Fills it up and then leaves your belly again through your mouth or nose.
Well done.
And now for the next minute,
I'd like you to breathe in through your nose as deep as you can and then exhale as deep as you can.
Do so slowly,
Your own pace,
A deep,
Slow inhale and a deep,
Slow exhale.
Go ahead and do so.
Nice and slow.
There is no rush.
Take your time.
I need you to thoughts are seeping in.
Just take note of those thoughts.
And then you may label them or watch them dissipate a little bit.
As you return to your deep breaths,
Deep breath in and slow deep breath out.
Next,
I'd like you to take a deep breath in for four seconds.
You count to four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And I want you to hold for four seconds and then exhale for 10 seconds.
I want you to count to 10 as you exhale.
You may just pretend you're blowing a candle by pursing your lips or blowing hot soup.
That may help you delay the exhale.
In for four seconds.
Hold for four seconds.
And then exhale for 10 seconds.
Go ahead and do so at your own pace,
In your own time.
In for four seconds.
Hold for four seconds.
Out for 10 seconds.
You may breathe out through your mouth.
Well done.
I want you to now just go back to checking in on the pace of your breath.
Notice if it's a little bit slower than what it was at the beginning.
Just observe the pace as you did at the start.
Don't fight the thoughts.
They're a big part in growing as a meditator.
It's perfectly normal.
Just take note of the thought and then go back to your breath.
I want you to now just notice if there are any sounds that you can hear as you breathe.
Any sounds associated with the inhaling and exhaling.
Just have a listen to those.
Nice work.
And now with me together,
Let's take a deep breath in for four seconds.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold for four seconds.
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale for 10 seconds.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight,
Nine,
Ten.
Just go back to noticing your breath however you choose to.
This is a freestyle round.
Just however you choose to notice your breath,
Go ahead and do so.
If thoughts seep in,
You notice the thought and go back to noticing,
Observing,
Or examining your breath.
When you're ready,
In your own time,
Only when you're ready,
You may gently open your eyes and welcome back your physical surroundings.
You may apply some of those principles to your daily meditation practice.
I highly advise you meditate first thing in the morning before you even look at your phone.
And then,
Just before you go to bed,
After you've put your phone aside,
It should be the last thing you do before you close your eyes.
Thank you very much for choosing to do this mindfulness breathing meditation with me.
I hope it has helped you,
Sending you lots of love and good energy.
.
