Hi there,
Welcome back to Insight Timer.
I'm Steven,
Your guide for this meditation.
One of the tools that we can use to support ourselves to get into the present moment and to be mindful is not just the breath but the space between the breath.
Take a gentle inhale and before the exhalation notice there's a brief moment when you might be holding the breath,
When the breath might be on the brink of shifting from inward to outward like the cresting of a wave coming onto the horizon.
Go ahead and release your breath if you haven't.
Notice the space between the length of the pause.
After an inhale,
Notice what it feels like to have your stomach,
Your chest cavity in full expansion.
And once you exhale,
Notice the space after the exhale.
Notice the space of emptiness,
Of release,
And then you'll inhale again.
This process becomes like a wave supporting us to stay balanced.
We're finding the neutral,
The midpoint,
Between the breath.
You might also imagine it like a circle coming back to its beginning or a spiral lifting you up,
Elongating your spine as you inhale until you're at your tallest.
Let's move through this together,
First finding a comfortable position whether that's seated,
Standing,
Or lying down.
Inhale and expand,
Bringing air into your lungs,
Lifting your diaphragm.
And for a brief moment before you exhale,
Pause.
Notice the space,
The stillness.
And then exhale,
Releasing.
There's another brief pause.
Another moment of presence before you inhale again.
Expanding,
Lifting your spine,
Maybe slightly taller.
And as you reach the top of that breath,
The top of the inhale,
Pause.
Notice the space between the breath.
Feel the fullness of it.
And then exhale.
Continue at your own pace now.
Inhaling,
Noticing the expansion,
And then noticing the gap between,
Between however long it might be.
Exhaling,
Releasing,
Pausing in the emptiness.
Let the rhythm find itself.
The space between each breath.
It's a moment all your own.
A place of stillness,
Of presence,
Of balance.
And if there's no hold,
There's no gap,
That's also something to notice.
Whether it's a continuous expansion,
Immediately looping into the exhale,
Or whether there is a brief moment,
You can just notice.
There's no wrong or right about how big that space needs to be.
When you're ready,
You can let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
And just like the breath,
You can keep this awareness of the space between with you,
Knowing that a pause,
Stillness,
It's always available,
Even between two breaths,
No matter how much time is there,
Whether it's a second or a millisecond.
Thanks for practicing with me.
I hope you'll join me on Insight Timer again soon.
