So,
Settle into a comfortable position.
We're going to start with the eyes open,
Just aware of the space around you.
And when you're ready,
Just taking some big deep breaths,
Breathing in through the nose,
And out through the mouth.
As you breathe in,
Just noticing how the body expands as it fills with air.
And as the body exhales,
Just noticing how the muscles soften.
And with the next out breath,
Just gently closing the eyes.
So,
Before you do anything,
Just pausing for a moment.
Just appreciating that feeling,
Being on your own for a few moments.
Not having to do anything,
To respond to anything,
Just taking some time for yourself.
Now,
I invite you to bring attention to the body.
Just allowing the mind to become grounded in the body.
Just feeling the weight of the body pressing down.
Noticing the contact against the seat or the floor,
The weight of the hands and the arms,
The feet and the legs.
So,
Settling back into the space around you.
Noticing any sounds,
Not resisting any sounds.
Just noticing and allowing the sounds to come and go.
And then,
As you bring the attention back to the body,
Just taking this opportunity while you're alone,
Just to notice how the body feels.
So,
There's a sense of heaviness or lightness to the body.
It means there is a sense of stillness or agitation.
And so,
We are not trying to change anything,
Just noticing how the body feels.
And then,
Just gently scanning down through the body,
Noticing any areas of discomfort.
And you may just gently let go of any tension or any discomfort that you notice as you scan down through the body.
Now,
Begin to notice the movement of the breath,
The rising and the falling sensation.
Notice where in the body you feel that movement.
You may notice it at the belly,
The chest,
The throat or your nostrils.
And if it's hard for you to feel anything at all,
Just gently placing your hand on the belly,
Allowing the body to breathe in its own way.
Notice if the breaths are long or short,
Deep or shallow.
And just for the moment,
Bring some sharp attention to the out-breath,
Just the out-breath.
Not forcing it in any way,
Just observing the out-breath.
Just watching the out-breath from the very beginning to the end.
And if you find that it helps,
As you can,
Maybe just count the breaths as they pass.
So,
Gently in your mind's eye,
Counting one with the rising sensation,
And then two as the body exhales,
You feel the falling sensation.
Noticing how the body softens,
Noticing a sense of space in the mind,
In the body with each out-breath.
As you breathe in,
Gently counting one,
And with the out-breath,
Counting two.
So,
Just counting up to two each time,
Focusing on the out-breath.
And so,
Of course,
Thoughts are going to come in every now and again.
And that's completely fine,
That's perfectly normal.
As soon as you realize that the mind has wandered off and been distracted,
Just letting go of the thoughts and gently coming back to the breath,
Gently placing the attention on the out-breath,
Appreciating that sense of space.
And then just for a moment,
Letting go of even any focus on the breath,
Just allowing the mind to be completely free to do whatever it wants to do.
And then bringing the attention back to the body,
Back to that feeling of contact and weight,
Back to the space around you,
Just noticing the sounds again,
And becoming more aware of your surroundings as you gently open your eyes in your own time.
