A breath awareness practice is an opportunity to be present and to intentionally spend some time remembering yourself as the observer because so often all of these thoughts and stories are running through the mind and we fuse with the thoughts.
We think we are the thoughts or we think the thoughts are true,
But really if we pause and take an imaginary step back,
What you'll notice,
What you'll observe is that you can observe the thoughts that are going through your mind.
You are not the thoughts.
They are happening out there and they are something that you can watch and observe.
Over time,
You can realize that the thoughts can happen and you don't have to react to the thoughts.
The thoughts can happen and you don't have to make any choices that are colored by that thought or determined by that thought.
The thought can just happen.
It can just be there,
You can notice it's happening and then it can float on its way and this is the practice to cultivate that skill.
So go ahead and get comfortable,
Whatever that means to you,
Sitting up in a comfortable chair or you can lay down if that's more comfortable for your body,
Allow your eyes to close,
Or if you're feeling kind of sleepy or it's just your personal preference,
Keep your eyes open and if your eyes are open,
Find a point somewhere in front of you or maybe in front of you and down a little bit like a 45 degree angle and just gaze at that point should you choose to keep your eyes open.
Taking a moment here to notice,
Observe the positioning of your body and is there anything that you can do to become a little more comfortable?
Observe any sounds that are happening around you.
You don't have to change anything about these sounds,
Just notice that they're happening and become aware of your breath.
Notice that your body is inhaling and exhaling.
As you're noticing these first few breaths,
Start to shift into nonjudgmental awareness.
So not judging any thoughts that you observe,
Not judging how quote unquote well you're doing in this practice.
If you're here and you are willing to observe and notice,
You're doing it correctly.
It's impossible to do this practice wrong.
So shifting into that nonjudgmental awareness now,
Nonjudgmental awareness of the thoughts and yourself in the practice and then remain connected to your breathing.
How do you do this?
You might be aware of the feeling of your body shifting as you breathe in and shifting as you breathe out like your chest or your abdomen,
Or you might focus on the temperature of the air in your nostrils,
Inhaling maybe a coolness and exhaling a little bit of air.
Exhaling that warmth or you might imagine or think the words in as you inhale or out as you exhale.
So just pick one of those.
You're aware of the breath in some kind of way,
Not all of the ways or it doesn't have to be all the ways,
But just be aware of the breath in some part of the breath.
Now you're already resting as the observer when you're connected to the breath.
And then what will happen is you will start thinking thoughts.
Not you,
Your brain will start thinking thoughts.
Let's be more specific.
The brain will start thinking thoughts because that's what the brain was built to do.
So the practice here is to notice when you are thinking something and you can just label it as thought,
Oh,
There is a thought.
And then you come back to your breath.
And that truly is the practice,
Not having a blank mind,
But noticing when a thought comes up and then coming back to the breath.
You might notice that a thought comes up and the thought wants more of your attention and you start thinking about it more in depth.
That happens.
That happens.
Once you notice that happening,
Just kindly pause.
Oh,
Wait a minute,
Hold on,
Pause.
That's a thought.
And then come back to the breath,
Remembering that you are observing the thoughts.
Just continue to notice if any thoughts come up about big things or little things,
Anywhere in between.
Just say,
Oh,
Thought,
And then come back to the breath over and over again.
Notice if there's any judgment about the thoughts that are coming up or how often you notice and come back to the breath.
No judgment at all.
That is the practice,
To have a thought,
To notice that the thought is happening,
To observe it,
And then to come back to the breath.
That is the practice.
You're doing it.
Doesn't matter how many times,
Just notice the thought.
Notice that you're thinking,
The mind is thinking,
And come back to the breath.
And before bringing the practice to a close,
Just observing whatever there is to observe,
Remembering that this practice was exactly the way it was meant to be today.
And then as you're ready to bring the practice to a close,
You might move the body a little bit,
Blinking your eyes open if they were closed.
This practice is complete.
