Bell rings Begin this meditation by learning how to get in touch with our breath.
It can anchor you into the present moment anytime,
Anywhere,
Whether it's in a formal meditation or out there in your daily life.
Begin by taking a dignified,
Alert,
Relaxed posture.
Settling in and getting comfortable.
Start by taking a big deep inhale through the nose,
Holding at the top,
And exhaling through the mouth,
Slow,
Steady,
And controlled.
Doing this in your own time.
Again,
Big deep breath in through the nose,
Hold at the top,
And let it all the way out.
One more big deep breath in through the nose,
Holding,
And exhale,
Slow,
Steady,
And controlled,
Pushing out all the air.
Now allow your breath to return to its normal rhythm,
And start to bring your attention to your nostrils,
Feeling the cool air come in and the warm air go out.
Next,
Bringing your attention to your chest,
And as the air comes in and out,
Notice the chest rising and falling.
Like waves in an ocean.
And see if you can start to feel the air coming in and out of the lungs.
See if you can start to feel the diaphragm expanding and contracting as you breathe.
And from these four locations in the body,
Choose one of the four where it's easiest for you to find and follow the breath.
Start to hold your attention there instead of wandering around the body.
It won't take long for your mind to wander,
Or to get distracted by a sound or another bodily sensation.
If this happens,
That's okay.
The mind is built to wander and have thoughts,
And your body is built to uncover sensations.
If this happens,
Just notice where the mind went,
Notice what the sensation is,
And lovingly,
Kindly escort your attention back to the breath again and again and again.
If you're struggling to find the breath or to stay in tune with it,
You can silently note to yourself,
Breathing in and breathing out.
If you're still struggling,
You can gently place a hand on your chest or on your stomach and feel the air coming in and out of your body,
Noticing that the more you practice bringing your attention back to the breath every time it wanders,
The easier it becomes and the less it drifts.
The breath becomes your anchor point,
The calm place underneath the chaos of the mind.
You can return to this place of refuge at any time.
With each in-breath,
A new beginning,
With each out-breath,
A complete letting go.
You can start to wiggle your fingers and bring your hands over your heart,
Thanking yourself for taking this time,
Thanking your body for its beautiful ability to breathe.
Bringing your hands together,
Start to rub them to generate some heat in your palms.
When you've done so,
You can cup them over your eyes and gently return to the room.
