We'll begin by establishing a comfortable and alert posture,
One where you can relax your body but still remain aware.
And as you settle into this posture,
Notice if there's any obvious tightness or tension in your body that you can easily release.
Perhaps you're holding tension between your eyebrows,
In your jaw.
Is your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth?
Can you relax your shoulders?
Can you soften your hands?
Can you relax your abdomen?
Maybe roll your head in a circle to release your neck.
And let your belly be soft and your breath be natural.
Our meditation today is simply a practice in awareness.
We want to be aware of how our breath moves,
But not control it.
And by noticing our breath,
We're able to cultivate a sense of presence underneath all of the sounds and thoughts and feelings and sensation.
We can sense our body breathing.
And as we practice noticing our breath here,
We're able to then continue to bring this practice in as our breath is always with us.
So first pay attention to where it's easiest to feel your breathing.
Is it in your nostrils as it's cooler as it enters?
Perhaps warmer as it exits over your upper lip.
Is your breath shallow just into the upper chest?
Or is it deep into the belly?
Maybe you even place a hand on the belly and the chest just to notice the rise and fall.
And as you sit and notice the breath,
Paying attention to the quality and the length,
Just come back to it gently every time the mind wanders.
No judgment or frustration as your thoughts pop up as they're bound to.
Instead I want you to let the thought enter the mind,
Acknowledge it,
Send it on its way and come back gently to this breath.
Notice the space between breaths.
Rest yourself relaxing into this breathing.
Each breath coming up and passing with simple awareness.
Each breath comes with a sense of calm and steadiness.
When you're ready,
You'll simply slowly open your eyes,
Bringing your attention back to your physical body.
And if you have the time to sit and reflect on this breath or perhaps write down what came up and continue this practice of breath awareness.
Thank you so much.
Namaste.
