Begin by finding a comfortable seated position or you're welcome to lay down if you feel as though you're alert enough that you won't fall asleep.
If seated on the floor it helps to have your hips raised on a pillow or cushion and if you're in a chair I recommend planting your feet on the ground in front of you.
However you're seated come to a posture that is both upright yet relaxed and without strain.
Let your hands fall where they naturally land,
Palms up or down on your lap.
When you feel ready allow your eyes to close or you can soften and lower your gaze if you'd prefer to leave them open.
Let ease take over now as we settle into this moment.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Holding at the top for three,
Two,
One and let it go.
Take one more deep breath,
The deepest one you've taken all day.
Hold it lightly at the top and this time exhale slowly.
Now allow your breath to return to its normal pace and depth.
Bring your conscious awareness to the sensation of your breath.
You might feel it at the tip of your nostrils as the cool air flows in on the inhale and the warm air flows out with the exhale.
You might feel it in the rising and falling of your belly or in your chest.
Wherever you feel the sensations of your breath the most,
Keep your concentration on the flow of those sensations.
Your breath will be the anchor you return to whenever you notice you've drifted off for the duration of this five-minute practice.
Be present with each inhale and each exhale.
If you become distracted by a thought or by a sound,
Just come back to the breath when you realize it.
Remain with the sensations of your breath.
To become distracted is not a failure but it is a success each time you recognize the distraction and come back to your breath.
The more you come back,
The more you strengthen your ability to live more fully in the present moment.
Begin to tune in to the space surrounding you,
Noticing if you can hear any sounds.
Now begin to feel the weight of your body against the cushion,
The chair,
Or the bed beneath you.
Take a deep breath in,
Feeling your belly expand,
And on the exhale take any stretch that feels good at this time.
Whenever you feel ready you can open your eyes.
