Mindfulness is a practice of non-judgmental,
Heightened awareness of your actions,
Emotions,
And thoughts.
Mindfulness is simply awareness.
You can practice awareness in every moment by noticing how aware you are of yourself,
Whether you're working,
Resting,
Or relating to others in your environment.
Mindfulness releases you from the grip of the thinking mind by expanding your awareness and focusing your attention on the present moment.
The following meditation is a practice in breath awareness.
Begin in a quiet place,
In an easy seated position.
Let yourself be comfortable and at ease.
If any thoughts arise,
Don't try to resist them.
Simply bring your attention back to the guided meditation.
Become aware of yourself.
Now in this moment.
Now gently bring your attention to your breath.
Observe the way that you're breathing.
Breathe without trying to change it or make it different.
Notice if it feels easy or a little difficult to breathe fully.
Is your breath shallow and tense?
Or full and deep?
Or is it somewhere in between?
Let your breath without judgment.
Simply being curious and aware of your breath.
Follow the sensation of air as you breathe in through your nose all the way into your lungs and into your abdomen.
And then follow the quality of sensation as you breathe all the way back out through your nose.
Simply observing with a sense of neutrality and detachment.
See if you can practice watching your breath just like this for the next several moments.
If at any time you find your mind wandering to the past or the future,
Gently invite it back to observing your breath.
Simply notice what thoughts you have and any feelings that you're experiencing.
Let all that arises be an experience for raising your own awareness.
As you go about the rest of your day,
Let your breath be an anchor for returning to the present moment.
Affirm to yourself,
I am aware of my breath.
I am aware of the way I breathe.
