Welcome to your breath awareness meditation.
Finding a comfortable position and closing down your eyes.
Just observing the breath as it is,
Not trying to change it in any way.
Feeling any sensations around the tip of the nose or through the nostrils.
Observing any movement in the shoulders,
Chest or belly.
Taking active control of the breath now.
Inhaling at a slow and steady pace,
Feeling your belly rising.
And relaxing the belly and exhaling gently.
Continue with these slow and steady breaths for the next few moments.
If you wish you may lightly place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly to allow for some feedback.
Inhaling deeply,
Letting the belly rise.
Exhaling completely,
Letting the belly fall.
With each exhale feeling the body relax,
Soften and gently melt.
Enjoying the effects of this additional oxygen and the calming effects on your nervous system.
And just counting your breath for how many seconds an inhale lasts and how many seconds your exhale lasts.
And just becoming aware of your heartbeat,
Observing its relationship with your breath.
Noticing the slight increase on your inhale and the decrease in the heartbeat during your exhale.
And just being aware of your heartbeat during your exhale.
Now just adding a pause at the end of your exhale for one or two seconds or more if you feel comfortable.
Inhaling,
Exhaling and pausing in stillness.
And observing your heartbeat during the pause as well.
Still remaining aware that your belly should be doing most of the movement rather than your chest or shoulders.
Now adding another pause to the breath,
This time at the end of the inhale.
Inhaling,
Pausing,
Exhaling,
Pausing.
Continue in this fashion for the next few minutes.
Again observing how the heartbeat is in these distinct stages.
And if your mind begins to wander.
When you realize just gently bringing your awareness back to your breath.
And just being aware of your heartbeat.
And just being aware of your heartbeat.
And just being aware of your heartbeat.
Accepting that thoughts are a very normal part of the meditation process.
Not trying to stop them or push the thoughts away.
Each time you realize you're lost in thought,
Just gently bringing your awareness back to your breath.
And just being aware of your heartbeat.
And just being aware of your heartbeat.
And just being aware of your heartbeat.
And just being aware of your heartbeat.
And softly letting go of the breath.
And just returning to your normal rhythm.
Starting to become aware of your body once more.
Bringing gentle movement to anywhere that needs adjustment.
Stretching or twisting.
Moving out of any discomfort that may have arisen.
Feeling gratitude for being able to give your body oxygen to nourish the cells.
And to be able to calm the nervous system with such an effective process.
And whenever you're ready,
Gently opening your eyes.
The meditation is coming to a close.
Please feel free to continue your own practice.
And thank you for practicing.
