Welcome to this brief meditation on precision attention.
In the next few minutes,
We'll work on sharpening your focus and gently training your mind to stay present.
Let's begin.
Notice your surroundings.
Visibly take in the scene in which you are a part of.
Ground yourself in the present moment by finding first a comfortable position.
Whether sitting or lying down,
Allow your body to settle into the here and now.
Gently close your eyes and welcome a calming sense to wash over you.
As we begin to center our physical self,
We now shift our attention to centering our mind.
Let's begin by taking three deep breaths together,
Inhaling slowly through your nose,
Being intentional to fill your lungs completely,
Pausing at the top of that breath.
Notice the feelings and sensation of your lungs filled with fresh,
New oxygen.
Slowly and fully exhale through your nose or mouth,
Completely emptying your lungs from the bottom up.
Let's do that a few more times together.
Inhaling slowly through your nose,
Filling your lungs completely,
Holding the breath at the top,
And now exhaling slowly through your nose or mouth.
Inhaling slowly through your nose,
Filling your lungs completely,
Holding the breath at the top,
And exhaling softly through your nose or mouth.
Let's do that one more time.
Inhaling slowly through your nose,
Expand your ribcage,
Allowing your lungs to fill completely,
Holding the breath at the top,
And when you're ready,
Exhaling completely through your nose or mouth.
As you resume a normal pace of breathing,
Scan your body for areas of tension.
As you notice each area,
Consciously release that tension,
Softly breathing into it,
Allowing your muscles to relax,
Letting it melt away.
Perhaps we want to draw our attention to our eyes,
Our mouth,
Our jaw,
Or our shoulders,
Common areas for our body to store tense points.
For this meditation,
We'll use the sensation of your breath at the tip of your nose as our focus point.
This will give us practice in directing our thoughts and mind towards one specific area of attention.
Let's begin.
Notice the cool air as you inhale and the warmer air as you exhale.
Don't try to change your breathing,
Simply observe it as it is.
At the tip of your nose,
The breath is circulating,
Inhaling as cooler and exhaling the warmer air.
Let's continue to practice focusing in on this very specific point of our breathing.
Keep the attention gently fixed on the sensation of breath at your nostrils,
Right at the tip.
When you notice your mind has wandered,
And of course,
We know it will,
Simply acknowledge the thought without judgment.
Gently but firmly guide your attention back to your breath,
The tip of your nose as your focus point,
The cool air as an inhale,
And the warmer air exchange on your exhale.
Again,
We're breathing in and we're breathing out.
No longer forceful breathing,
Yet it is relaxed and natural to us.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Noticing the sensations,
The air circulating in and out of our nose.
What does it feel like?
What sensations are you experiencing?
Breathing in and breathing out.
Each time you notice that your mind has wandered and you bring it back to your point of focus,
You are strengthening your attention muscle.
Now,
For a moment,
Let's see if you can narrow your attention to pinpoint the exact spot where you feel the breath entering and leaving your nostrils.
Maintain this precise focus,
Allowing everything else to fade into the background.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Gradually expand your awareness to include your whole body,
The sounds in the room and the space around you.
As you are ready,
Slowly open your eyes,
Re-engaging fully in your present moment.
As you reflect on this experience,
You may ask yourself,
How did it feel to direct your attention so precisely?
Let's take note of that in our minds with the reminder that as we move through the day,
You can bring the moments of this sharpened focus to your activities,
Whether it's during conversation,
While working,
Or enjoying your next meal.
And remember,
Each moment of awareness strengthens your attention.
Thank you for joining in this practice with me today.
Namaste.
