Mindfulness of Breathing

Introductory mindfulness of breathing practice.

Transcript

So starting off by either sitting or lying down comfortably.

I'm taking a moment just to notice what condition the body and mind are in.

So is the mind busy or quiet?

Agitated or relaxed?

I'm also noticing the body as a whole.

Are there areas of tension?

Perhaps areas of comfort and stillness?

So remembering that we're not trying to cultivate particular states of mind or particular feelings within the body.

We're just becoming aware of what's present right now and investigating it.

Through that investigation changing our relationship to what's happening in our minds and bodies.

So now bringing your attention to the process of breathing.

So noticing the breath at the points in which you can feel the breath.

So that might be the coolness of the breath coming in at the nostrils and the warmth of the air going out.

Or perhaps the rise and fall of the abdomen with each breath.

So just paying close attention to the sensations of breathing.

So you can either continue just observing the sensation of breath at either the nostrils or the abdomen.

Or to help with concentration you can do some other things.

So one of those is counting.

So on the in-breath silently count one.

On the out-breath one.

Breathing in two.

Breathing out two.

And then continuing up to five and then starting again.

Or perhaps noticing silently to yourself in on the in-breath and out on the out-breath.

There are times when you are more agitated,

Perhaps busier or more stressed.

It can be helpful to use one of those supporting tools,

Either the counting or the silently noting.

And at other times you may wish to just observe the sensations of breathing themselves.

So being flexible in the approach that you use to keep track of the breath and responding to whatever situation you find yourself in.

At different points you might find yourself getting distracted by thinking.

Thinking about things that you need to do.

Thinking about things that you have already done.

Perhaps even thinking about the practice itself.

So whether it is working or not.

Whether it is a value or not.

So as soon as you notice that you are thinking,

Just very gently come back to observing the breath.

This process of getting distracted and coming back to the breath is just the natural cycle of doing these types of practices.

Getting distracted is no sign of doing something wrong and nothing that needs to be fixed.

Just notice when you have been distracted and you just gently come back to observing the breath.

Remembering too that this observation is always done with curiosity and kindness.

Extending curiosity and kindness towards whatever it is that you find when you observe the breath.

To whatever states of mind or feelings are in the body,

Sensations are in the body when you do this practice.

So perhaps if there are strong feelings of pain or discomfort,

You can just silently note to yourself pain and discomfort before gently returning to the breath.

Remembering that we are cultivating a different relationship to what is present.

So we don't need to get rid of anything that we find when we do the practice.

Just notice it and come back to the breath.

So paying close attention to the breath.

Notice the beginning of an in-breath.

Notice that process as the breath comes in up to the point where it turns and becomes an out-breath.

Following that breath out before the next breath.

Notice this cycle of the breath coming in and the breath going out.

It's also important to remember that what we are cultivating is this different relationship to our current experience.

You may be very familiar with your body and mind.

Sometimes this can be from the perspective of wanting it to be different than how it is.

And from the perspective of mindfulness practice,

This wanting things to be different is the cause of the problems.

In the context of this practice we just allow things to be as they are.

There is no better breath than the one that we are taking right now.

No better body than the one that we have got right now.

No better mind than the one that we have got right now.

And so as the practice draws to a close,

It feels like you can continue to sit in silence noticing the breath.

Otherwise when the recording finishes,

Just gently,

Taking a few deeper breaths,

Having a stretch and gently opening your eyes.

Reviews

Good simple mindfulness practice

Great and clear instructions. Thanks 🙏💓

Wonderful and I’ll definitely be revisiting! Would only note that I found the volume to be very low. Really nice. 💕

Thank you for the reminder we are not seeking to change the mind. Just to observe where it is at!

Very good for me. Liked the voice, words, tempo. Will come back to this one. Thank you!

Nice focusing and rhythm

Lovely way to start the day thanks

Perfect for unwinding and de-stressing. Really like the accent and easy voice with no background music.

Gentle, simple, loving meditation.

I thought this was an excellent introduction to breathing meditation.