Affectionate Breathing

This is a restorative mindfulness practice designed to calm and clear the mind. This meditation invites you to use the breath as an anchor to find a grounded state of being. This practice is one of the core meditations from the Mindful Self-Compassion program.

Transcript

This meditation is called affectionate breathing.

So to start please find a comfortable position sitting or lying down.

And letting your eyes close partially or fully.

And then taking a few deep breaths to settle into your body and into this moment.

And as you exhale perhaps allowing yourself to exhale any unnecessary tension or stress that your body may be holding.

And if you wish placing a hand,

One or two hands over your heart.

Or perhaps some other part of your body that might be comforting and soothing.

And just feeling the gentle touch of your hands.

And perhaps the warmth of your hands.

Just feeling those sensations.

As we do this as a reminder that we're bringing not just attention or awareness to our breathing but we're bringing loving awareness.

A kind of tender awareness to our breathing and to ourselves.

And you can leave your hands there or you can allow them to rest in your lap or elsewhere.

And then bringing your awareness inside your body and allowing yourself to feel the sensations that are in the body right now.

Perhaps there's a general sense of vibration or pulsation.

Or maybe there's a particular sensation such as the sensation of sitting on a chair or a place of tension somewhere in your body.

So for now just allowing any sensations that you find just to be there making some space for them.

Just allowing for this moment your body to feel what it feels.

This is what it means to have a human body to be alive just like this.

And then as you feel your body beginning to notice your breathing.

Feeling your breath moving somewhere in your body.

And allowing yourself to feel it where you feel it most easily.

For example maybe you feel it most easily at the nostrils as the air moves in and out.

Or maybe you feel it most easily in the chest region.

Perhaps there's a rising and falling of your chest.

Or your belly maybe an expansion and contraction of your belly.

Or maybe you feel your breath most easily in your whole body the way your whole body moves as you inhale and as you exhale.

So allowing this to be very simple just feeling the movement of your breath wherever you can feel it most easily.

Feeling your body breathing in.

Feeling your body breathing out.

As you do this perhaps warming up your awareness a little bit.

Again you could put a hand over your heart if you wish or elsewhere.

You can do that anytime during this meditation.

Or perhaps perhaps inclining in your in your heart.

Inclining toward your own breathing.

In the same way that you might incline toward a young child or a puppy.

Noticing how this dear being breathes.

Chest rising and falling.

Just as you breathe.

Inclining toward your own body and toward your own breathing.

With the same tender awareness that you might toward a young child.

Feeling your body breathe.

Feeling your body breathe on its own.

And of course the mind will wander.

Of course again just like a child or just like a puppy it will wander off.

Just kind of curious about other things and when you notice that that happened.

Just oh okay and see if you can't in a kind of a gentle and friendly way.

Once again just feel your breathing.

Just feeling your body breathe.

And as you do this perhaps being aware of the rhythm of the breath.

Being aware that the breath has a kind of soothing rhythm.

Rising and falling like the movement of the sea.

Continuously.

In fact continuously nourishing the body as you breathe in and continuously relaxing the body as you breathe out.

That the body breathes itself.

That the body breathes you.

That all this happens on its own.

That there is in your body a very natural soothing rhythm.

That has been with us since we were born.

So just taking for a moment.

Just taking a moment now and enjoying.

Savoring or appreciating that soothing rhythm.

Savoring.

Allowing yourself to feel your whole body breathe.

Feeling your whole body being gently rocked and caressed by the breathing.

How your body moves.

Rising and falling.

Just like the sea.

Allowing yourself to be gently caressed by this movement.

Allowing your whole being to be inwardly caressed by your breathing.

And if you like even giving yourself over to the breath.

Giving yourself over to the breath.

Even becoming the breath.

Letting the breath be all there is.

Just being the breath.

Just the breath moving in the body.

Letting yourself become the breath.

If you like letting go.

And becoming that soothing rhythm.

Nothing but the breath moving.

And of course the mind will wander off from time to time.

And when it does,

Again that's the nature of the mind.

It's just like a little child or a puppy.

So when we notice that,

Oh yes.

And then ever so gently in a friendly natural way.

Bringing our awareness back to the breathing.

Allowing ourselves to be comforted and soothed by the breath.

Allowing ourselves to be rocked by the breath.

Cradled by the breath.

To enjoy this movement.

And if you wish,

Once and again,

Perhaps letting go and just letting yourself become the breath.

Letting yourself just be that natural rhythm.

Nothing you need to do.

Just being the breath.

And now knowing that this soothing rhythmic movement of the breath is always there.

And we can return to it anytime.

Releasing it just for a moment.

And allowing our awareness just to rest in the body as a whole.

And allowing yourself to feel,

To feel once again what it's like to be in your body.

To have a human body.

Taking a lot of space for you to feel just what you feel.

Letting it be so.

And for this moment,

Letting yourself be also just as you are.

Just like this.

And then whenever you feel ready,

Ever so slowly and gently opening your eyes.

Reviews

Thanks for your guidance and for sharing your wisdom with us. Namaste 🙏🏽

Thanks for relaxing and centering guidance. The metaphor of the curious child or puppy for the wandering mind was really helpful in releasing my inner critic’s stinging commentary about distraction.

This meditation brought relief to painful sensations I was experiencing and loving acceptance. Thank you Chris for your gentle and kind voice which allowed this experience to unfold.

These 18 minutes
Listening to Chris' kind voice gave me awareness of where I am at this moment, being nourished by my deep breaths. Thank you? Dear Chris!!

Simply wonderful. So very gentle. Exactly what I needed today. Arriving back in my body and my inner trust. Thank you. ✨

This meditation reinforced for me the importance of gentleness in meditation. Thank you!

Well guided and easy to drop into. A very pleasant and peaceful meditation with no bells. Thank you for not using bells! They are so overused and unnecessary.

Instruction was soothing, easy to follow. I was actually able to *become* my breathing a few times!

A whole new experience & so soothing. Just being with the breath…. Grateful for this experience today !🌼

This is one of the most helpful meditations I have come across. Thank you Christoper. You and Kristin Neff have transformed my life.

Nice pacing. Peaceful voice

Wonderful!! 😊🙏🌈

I was able to use this meditation in a time of deep sorrow and exhaustion. Seated in a woodland allowing the trees and the wind to breathe with me. thank you for the gentle, loving reminder that I am the breath and the breath is in me.

A very calming and soothing voice. I enjoy your meditations very much. Thank u Chris Germer!

Such a beautiful practice. Deeply grateful 🙏

So soothing! Thank you!

Thank you, Chris.

This is my favourite meditation that I use daily. Adding the affectionate element to a simple breath meditation is just what I needed to bring more compassion to my practice and to my life. Thank you so much.

As one who has had tremendous difficulty breathing despite countless exercises, particularly exhaling fully, I am indescribably grateful for Dr. Germer's affectionate breathing meditation. So simply, he reawakens the Witness from the startled sense of body and gently, ever so gently, guides us back to ourselves and thereby, to the deliciousness of Breath Itself. I have been playing this at least twice a day for the last two months and the evidence of calmness and embodiment is blooming everywhere I am. Thank you.

I am a total fan of professor Germer's job. Greatful to meditate with his guidance.