This guided meditation is to assist you in awareness of breathing.
It's drawn from two resources,
One,
Calming the Anxious Mind by Jeffrey Brantley,
And the other,
Touching Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh.
One of the oldest and most common meditation practices to build concentration and mindfulness focuses on the breath itself.
We can call this meditation practice Awareness of Breathing,
Mindfulness of Breathing,
Or Awareness of the Breath.
This is a simple yet profound meditation practice.
The sensation of the breath is the primary object of non-judging,
Allowing awareness.
You practice by simply paying attention on purpose to the direct sensation of breathing as they arise,
Change,
And disappear.
Whenever your attention moves off of the breath,
Just notice that and gently escort your attention back to the breath.
Concentrating attention in this way connects mind and body to the present moment into a deep inner calm and steadiness.
Take your seat in a comfortable position in the place that you choose for formal meditation.
Try to minimize distractions and interruptions.
Spend the first few moments of your practice reflecting on the attitudes that form the foundations for mindfulness practice.
Mindfulness is about non-interfering allowing presence.
The attitudes of mindfulness are non-judging,
Patience,
Beginner's mind,
Trust,
Non-striving,
Acceptance,
And letting go.
In the beginning,
Pay particular attention to non-judging and non-striving.
Let go of any agenda about changing things and don't try to make anything happen.
Sit comfortably in a dignified way with your back,
Neck,
And head in good alignment.
Your hands easeful.
Sit in a way that promotes alertness and wakefulness and let your eyes close gently.
Gather and collect your attention in the sensations of your body.
Notice your feet on the floor,
Your back supported upright,
Your hands resting comfortably,
Your face and head.
Also resting as they are.
Allow yourself to feel the heaviness of your body directly.
Allow yourself to relax into the support of the chair,
The floor.
Let your body ease and settle as much as possible.
Bring attention to your abdomen.
Allow your abdomen to relax and become soft and let the abdomen stay soft.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
In,
Out.
In,
Out.
Gather and collect your awareness on the sensations of your breath as it comes and goes.
Concentrate your attention at the place in your body where you can feel your breath come and go most easily and naturally.
For some,
This is the abdomen.
For others,
The chest.
For others,
The nose or even the mouth if you tend to breathe with your mouth open.
Let your attention settle and focus exactly on that place where the breath sensations are easiest for you to feel.
If you aren't sure exactly where to focus,
The abdomen is a good place to start.
Let your attention rest there.
Allow yourself to feel the sensation of the breath moving in the body just as it is.
Let your attention rest there.
Allow the breath to come and go without interfering or trying to control it.
This practice is about strengthening attention and awareness,
Not controlling the breath.
Keep the focus on just this breath.
Just this breath.
Try to remain present for the entire cycle of each breath.
In,
Out.
In,
Out.
As your attention strengthens and mindfulness grows,
You can begin to notice the beginning of the breath,
The middle and the end of it.
Let your attention settle more deeply into the variety of sensations of the breath in the body.
Allow the feeling of the rise and fall of the abdominal wall,
The actual stretching sensation,
To be the focus.
Notice the changing patterns of sensation,
How each breath is different.
Some shallow,
Some deep,
Some strong,
Some weak,
Some rough,
Some smooth.
Meet each breath with beginner's mind,
Sensing it as if for the first time.
In truth,
Each breath is here once and only once.
Welcome it.
When your attention wanders away from the breath sensation,
Do not be surprised.
Gently notice where it went.
No matter where your mind wanders,
With patience and kindness,
Escort your attention gently back to the place in the body where you're concentrating on your breath sensation.
Appreciate yourself for noticing that your attention has wandered.
You've not made a mistake or done anything wrong.
This is the habit of every mind.
It will wander.
Recognizing when the mind wanders is a moment of mindfulness.
It is a part of the training of the mind that you've undertaken.
Keep your belly soft.
Notice if there is a tightening in tension in the body.
Allow softening and relaxing as much as possible.
Do not try too hard.
Do not try to make anything happen.
Do not even try to become a good meditator.
Just pay attention to the breath sensations with non-judging,
Allowing awareness.
Let things be.
Let distractions and preoccupations go.
Return attention to your breathing.
When thoughts or distractions arise,
Try to let them be.
Breathe in and out with them as you focus on your breath.
Breathe in and out through the distraction.
Be patient with yourself.
Continue opening as much as possible and allow yourself to feel the sensations of each breath and breath.
Breathing in,
I see myself as space.
Breathing out,
I feel free.
Space.
Free.
Offering space to ourselves inside and outside has a calming feeling.
It creates happiness.
So living happily in the present moment means that we can touch the peace and joy that are available now in the present.
The time will come when with elation you will greet yourself arriving at your own door,
In your own mirror,
And each will smile at the other's welcome and say,
Sit here,
Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine,
Give bread,
Give back your heart to itself,
To the stranger who has always loved you all your life,
Whom you ignored for another,
Who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
The photographs,
The desperate notes.
Peel your image from the mirror.
Sit.
Feast on your life.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
The poet Derek Walcott.
The poet Derek Walcott.
The poet Derek Walcott.
Gently open your eyes now and enjoy the present moment as the best moment of your life.
Stretching your body,
Wiggling your fingers and toes.
Notice how you feel and then let that feeling go.
Let this practice session stand alone.
And if your mind tends to compare and judge one session against another,
Just notice that and let it go.
Be easy on yourself.
Just let it go.
