Awareness Of The Breath (Trauma-Informed)

This guided meditation is a trauma-informed practice inviting you to bring awareness to your breath. When you become aware of your breath, you become more present and alive in each moment. The meditation guides you into becoming aware of the quality and sensations of the breath, as well as where you feel it in your body. The practice offers several long pauses for noticing the breath.

Transcript

In this meditation,

We are practicing becoming aware of the breath.

I'd like to invite you to come into whatever posture is supportive of this practice.

You can sit in a chair or on a couch or the floor.

You can stand or you can lie down.

You can shift between postures during the meditation.

You can keep your eyes open or closed.

If at any point during the practice you start to feel overwhelmed or anxious,

You can turn your awareness towards an anchor,

Which is something that feels pleasant or neutral to you.

Some invitations are to come back to the anchor of objects in your environment,

The anchor of noticing sounds or the anchor of touch by giving yourself a gentle hug.

Begin by noticing if there are any places in your body where you are experiencing tension or tightness.

And if you can release those areas,

Do so.

Now begin to notice your body breathing.

You might notice where you feel your body breathing.

Is it in the rise and fall of the chest,

The belly?

Depending on where air enters your body,

Can you become aware of the air entering your nostrils or your mouth?

What is the quality of the breath?

Is it warm?

Cool?

Follow your breath for a few moments as it enters and leaves your body.

There's no need to change your breath in any way.

Just notice it.

If you begin to feel uncomfortable at any time,

Remembering your anchors of sight,

Sound or touch,

Bringing a kind attention to wherever your breath feels the easiest or most pleasant to feel.

If your mind wanders,

Gently bring it back to your breath without judgment.

Allow yourself to feel the next three in-breaths and out-breaths.

As your body receives and releases each breath,

Allow the mind to settle and the body to relax,

Continuing to be aware of where the body receives each breath.

You might notice the rise and fall of the body.

You might be aware of how the body releases each breath.

And if your mind has drifted,

Gently bring it back to the sensations of the breath and of the body breathing.

As we close the meditation,

Noticing how your body feels,

Are you feeling more relaxed?

Focused?

At ease?

Knowing you can return to the awareness of the breath at any moment.