To begin meditating on the breath,
Settle into an easy and comfortable spot,
One that allows you to be awake and alert,
But at the same time at ease in your body and your breath.
Relax your body,
Rest your mind and settle in.
Soften your shoulders,
Release all tension in the chest and the neck.
Relax your hands and your hips.
Just let everything go.
Just let everything melt.
Just let everything be.
Take a moment to open your awareness to the world around you and to the world within you.
Notice the sounds that you hear.
Notice the feeling of your body resting against the support beneath you.
Notice the sensations of life within you.
Open your awareness in a welcoming way without being disturbed by what you find.
Just sense what is and then let it be.
And when you're ready,
Turn your attention to the breath.
Notice how it feels to breathe in and breathe out.
Just let your mind be at rest with the breath like a butterfly rests on a flower,
Touching it delicately,
Carefully,
Gently.
You're not trying to change or manipulate the breath in any way.
You're just trying to experience it fully to let it be at the forefront of your awareness.
The rest of life continues in the background humming along while you let the mind settle itself upon the rise and the fall of the breath,
The opening and the release.
The inhale and the exhale.
And as much as you can,
Keep the mind in continuous contact with the breath.
Watch it rise.
Notice what happens at the top of the inhalation.
Watch how the breath shifts from inhale to exhale.
And then stay with the breath all the way through to the end of the exhalation as well.
And then watch as the exhale wraps back around into the inhale.
There may even be a sweet spot of stillness at the end of the exhalation in the beginning of the inhale.
Just watch.
Stay with the breath.
When you notice that the mind has strayed from the breath as it will from time to time,
Just start again.
Patience and care return to the breath.
Am I breathing in?
What does it feel like to breathe in?
Am I breathing out?
How do I know what changes?
What do I feel?
Just breathe.
Let yourself settle into that beautiful and primal rhythm.
Rise and follow the breath.
Like waves in the ocean.
Like the alternation between day and night.
Like the waxing and waning of the moon.
Like a lullaby.
As much as possible,
Just let your mind's eye shine its light on the experience of the breath.
Let your awareness gather itself together into a clear and steady state.
Strong,
Concentrated,
Focused,
Clear.
Everything else recedes into the background of your field of view.
Just with the breath.
Stay with the breath.
Return the mind to that state where it's able to stay anchored and steady.
Easy and quiet.
Just the breath.
Nothing more and nothing less.
Stay here.
And for these last few moments,
Recommit enthusiastically to staying with the full and continuous arc of the breath.
Once the breath is completely and with as much presence as possible,
Let the breath lead you back to still and easy presence within.
Enjoy the feeling of life pouring through you.
Just breathe.
And now notice where you are.
Notice how it feels to be right here,
Right now.
The mind grown just a little quieter and steadier as your vision grown clearer.
Perhaps you found yourself in these few easy breaths.
And in the process,
You found the whole wide world.
And then whenever you're ready,
Gently re-emerge.
Open your eyes.
Take a few deep and easy breaths.
Let your mind inhabit your fingers,
Your toes,
Your shoulders,
Your face.
Stretch in any way you like.
And notice where you are in time and space.
And then commit to staying clear and present,
Open and breathable as you gather yourself back up and move out into your day.
Enjoy the feeling of life pouring through you.
