Okay,
So getting into a comfortable but awake seat,
What you might feel is a dignified seat.
Finding that comfort space so that you can hold the sit if you're sitting for some time or if you're lying and adjusting yourself so that you can be comfortable and yet awake.
And so I invite you to begin noticing your breath.
And a way to find the breath or hone in might be noticing on how with the inhale the air has some warmth to it or actually coolness to it and on the exhale there's some warmth after it's been in the lungs for just a bit.
So take some time to notice that temperature difference.
This is finding our anchor,
That breath.
And as thoughts come in,
Dive in,
Flutter in.
Just notice them.
Thinking is a part of the sit.
We don't want to stop thoughts because what we resist will persist.
And so here we are allowing the thoughts,
Seeing them,
And then bringing ourselves back to this breath.
Back to your breath,
Back to the in and out,
The coolness and the warmth of the breath.
Reminding yourself there's nowhere else to be right now.
The mind might trick you into thinking otherwise.
And upon awareness of that,
Of awareness of a thought,
Of resistance,
Just kindly acknowledge,
Yes I see you,
Maybe naming it thinking,
Thinking or worry or hunger thought,
What to do thought.
And gently bringing yourself back to your breath over and over.
And remembering with this we're not trying to control or manipulate the breath.
It's about becoming curious about your breath as it is because there's no right or wrong with the breath.
Another way you might find the breath as your anchor is by noticing the rise and fall of the body.
So the rise and fall of the abdomen,
Chest,
Shoulders,
The front and back rib cage.
Possibly even noticing the movement of fabric against your skin with each breath.
And just allowing the breath to be as it is versus manipulating it.
Being kind to yourself as those thoughts jump in.
At times you might find yourself getting frustrated and remembering that each time you become aware is a Hallelujah moment.
That is that time of the strengthening.
Strengthening of awareness of this moment.
Because the option is to not be aware at all.
So don't resist the thoughts,
Just notice.
And gently as if you're calling a puppy to you,
Calling yourself back to the breath saying,
Okay come on,
Come on back here.
We can just sit right here noticing the breath.
And should you notice a sensation or even a thought that feels like it is hijacking you or making it a challenge to be with the breath,
It is okay to make that the space,
The thing of your awareness.
So if there's tightness,
Tension,
Discomfort or a thought that just keeps barging in,
Bring the breath to that.
So making that the object of awareness.
So it's not thinking about it or judging it,
It's feeling it,
Naming it.
And then you may find that the mind then is done with that or you're good with it.
And then bringing yourself back to your breath.
Another way that you might bring awareness to the breath or strengthen that anchor is noticing the space or the pause in between the breaths.
So we have the natural rise of the inhale and then the fall of the exhale and then there's that pause,
That space before the body naturally takes in its next breath.
So I invite you to sit in that space knowing that the next breath is going to come.
It's not something one needs to worry about but we just sit waiting and then following the breath as it comes,
The inhale,
The exhale and the pause.
It might be a short pause or a long pause,
There's no right or wrong.
Just sitting in that pause.
And then as thoughts come,
Acknowledging them and coming back to the breath.
Maybe even investigating what feels like the most present anchor for you.
Is it the texture or temperature of the breath through the nostrils or maybe it's the movement of the body or the pauses or possibly a combination of all three.
So I'm going to give you some time to sit with that,
Getting familiar with your breath,
Noticing the thoughts,
Judgments,
Worries,
Concerns as they come through and then bringing yourself back to your breath,
Finding that anchor.
Coming back to the breath wherever the mind has been.
Coming back to that anchor that's always there for us.
Feeling that breath,
The coolness,
The warmth,
The rise and the fall,
The pause.
And as we come to an end to this meditation,
Offering yourself some gratitude for taking some time to be gentle with yourself,
Allowing yourself some stillness.
Even if the mind didn't seem still,
There may have been moments.
That is something to be grateful for.
And so I invite you to bring some small movements to fingers,
Hands,
Feet,
Maybe noticing any light coming through your eyelids and slowly,
Gently as you are ready,
Opening your eyes.
Thank you for joining me in this meditation.
Namaste.
