Hello,
Here's a short breathing meditation to help you to find a sense of calm and give your mind an opportunity to settle.
So find a comfortable meditation posture,
Sitting on a chair,
A cushion,
A sofa or you can lie down on a bed.
The best meditation posture is the one that works with your body and feels comfortable.
If you're sitting on a chair,
Have your feet resting flat on the ground with your hands on your legs or together in your lap in any way that feels comfortable.
Now take a deep breath in,
Breathing out and gently close your eyes.
Begin by feeling the weight of your body going down into the ground and noticing those contact points where your body meets the surface you're resting on.
And relaxing your face,
Your neck,
Your shoulders,
Arms and hands.
Relaxing your chest,
Your abdomen,
Your back.
Relaxing your upper legs,
Your thighs,
Your lower legs,
Calf muscles and your feet.
And taking another deep breath in all the way down into your belly.
Breathing out and allowing your body to sink a little bit more into the surface you're resting on.
And you might want to adjust your posture a little to get more comfortable.
So feel free to move a little if you need to.
Sitting tall and dignified,
Relaxed and comfortable.
Now bring your attention to your breath,
Your breathing.
And feeling your breath coming in and out of your nose.
Just bring your attention there.
Feeling the cool air coming in,
Coming out and the warm air going out.
And that's all you need to do.
Feeling your breath moving in and out of your nose.
Breathing as you normally do.
And really pinpointing that place where you notice your breath.
Is it at the back of your nose?
Or just inside your nose at the tip?
Maybe you notice it more at the back of your throat.
Just being curious about where you feel your breathing.
And you might also notice the short pause between your in-breath and your out-breath and your out-breath and your in-breath.
And as you breathe in,
Your breath builds into a crescendo.
And then gradually fades as you come to the end of the in-breath.
And then a short pause.
And then you breathe out.
And it builds again.
And then gradually fades.
And then another short pause.
So continuing to feel your breath.
And if your mind wanders off,
Away from the felt sense of breathing,
Into thoughts,
Those stories that we have in our heads.
Judging,
Planning,
Worrying,
Or just thinking.
That's perfectly okay.
It's what our minds do.
So just notice your mind's gone for a wander.
And then gently but firmly bring it back to a sense of your breathing.
So continue to connect with a sense of breathing at your nose.
And that's all you need to do.
And each and every time your mind goes for a wander,
Just notice and bring it back again.
And letting go of judging yourself,
Thinking that you're doing it wrong,
That you're not meditating correctly.
Just being with your breath,
Trusting in your breath to be your guide.
And now you can let go of feeling your breath at your nose.
And expand your awareness out to a sense of your whole body sitting here.
Then move your senses more into the outside world.
Getting a sense of your body in the room you're in.
Maybe noticing the light through your eyelids.
Becoming aware of sounds around you.
And then take a nice deep breath in.
Breathing out and gently open your eyes as we end this meditation.
