Whether this is your very first meditation or you're an existing practitioner looking for instructions,
Welcome to this introduction to meditation.
First making sure that you choose a room where you won't be undisturbed for the next 10 minutes that is relatively quiet.
You can choose to position yourself on a chair,
Sitting with your feet pressed against the ground.
We can also sit in a cross-legged position.
Making sure that your back is straight without being overly stiff,
Letting the shoulders drop,
Which should allow the breathing to flow naturally.
And if you do choose to sit cross-legged,
Making sure that your knees are slightly lower than your hips.
However you choose to position yourself,
Or even if you do choose to lie on your back,
Simply making sure that you are comfortable enough to stand that position for the next 10 minutes without experiencing too much discomfort.
You can choose to keep your eyes open,
Looking a meter and a half in front of you,
Broadening the gaze.
Which sometimes may be useful if you have difficulty anchoring yourself,
Or if you find yourself repetitively getting carried away into your thoughts.
Otherwise you can also choose to simply close your eyes.
Starting the meditation by noticing the parts of the body that are in contact with the floor,
In contact with the cushion,
Soles of your feet,
The back of your feet,
Calf muscles,
Your thighs.
Getting a sense of your posture,
Noticing any tendency to lean a little bit forward or backward on one side or the other.
Making some adjustment if necessary.
Allowing yourself to transition towards a space where there is nothing you need to do,
Or to be,
Or to feel.
You don't need to feel relaxed.
Simply noticing your experience,
However it might be.
If that feels comfortable for you,
Turning your attention towards the breath.
Identifying the part of the body where the breath seems to be the most obvious.
Maybe the nostrils,
Maybe the chest,
The belly.
And maybe taking two or three deeper breaths,
If you find that you are having difficulty feeling your breath.
Then returning towards a more natural way of breathing.
Without manipulating or controlling the breath in any way.
Observing each inhale,
Each exhale.
Noticing a brief moment of pause for the exhale.
Right before the next inhale.
The breath may be shallow,
May be deep,
May be very rapid or slow.
Observing how it is right now,
How it may be changing or staying the same.
If you notice that your mind has this very natural tendency to think away from the breath,
Going into thoughts about the future,
About the past,
About your experience.
Or even simply a series of unrelated thoughts.
Trying to be aware of it as soon as you can.
And when you are,
Gently but firmly,
Bringing the mind back to the breathing.
Wherever you are at,
Whether it's an inhale or exhale.
Each moment there is an opportunity to begin again.
Bringing the mind back to the breath.
If that feels comfortable for you,
Expending your attention slightly.
Following the full cycle of breath,
Trying to feel as the breath is entering your nostrils,
Inflating the chest,
Inflating the belly.
Feeling as it's progressively leaving the body,
The belly deflating,
The chest.
Maybe feeling the temperature of the air that is slightly warmer.
You might even be noticing that you are not feeling the breath in specific parts of the body.
If that is the case,
Simply acknowledging that.
The absence of sensations in certain parts of the body.
And before transitioning,
Taking a few moments to acknowledge that you have been taking this time today intentionally to cultivate your capacity to be fully present.
To an aspect of your experience.
Starting to notice your surroundings,
Integrating the sounds that are in the room.
Whenever you are ready,
Opening your eyes.
And maybe stretching some parts of the body that you feel may need to be stretched.
And congratulating yourself for completing your very first meditation.
