Mindfulness of Breathing

A short meditation on mindfulness of breathing.

Transcript

Mindfulness of breathing,

So preparing for meditation in the usual way,

Noticing sounds around us,

And then inviting our awareness into the body,

Allowing our attention to sink down from the head into the body.

Right into the feet and the toes.

Taking some time to notice all the various sensations in the body,

Feelings of softness,

Warmth,

Tension,

Coolness,

Aching.

Sensitive to pleasant and unpleasant sensation and feeling.

Just noticing without judging or trying to change anything.

And now turning our awareness to the sensations of the breath in the body.

It's good to begin by getting a sense of the whole breath,

A sense of the breathing body.

Just noticing the movement of the body as you breathe in and out.

Perhaps noticing movement of the breath in the chest.

So we're not thinking about this movement,

We're feeling it.

Just notice where you can feel the expansion and subsiding of your lungs in your chest.

Where do you feel that?

Take your awareness there.

Perhaps you can feel a movement in the belly and the abdomen.

Subtle movement and bigger movement.

We're exploring the actual felt sensations of the breath in the body.

Perhaps you can get a sense of the rib cage expanding and subsiding as you breathe in and out.

Perhaps you've noticed that your mind's wandered.

That's okay,

That's what minds do.

So there's no point in us being critical or judgmental with ourselves about this.

It's just part of being human.

So when we notice that the mind's wandered,

We can gently bring it back to the felt sensation of the breath in the body.

And we might need to do that over and over again and that's okay.

That's the practice.

To notice the nature of the mind to wander and then to bring it back to the body.

Back to the felt sensation of the breath in the body.

So thoughts in a way when they arise are part of the practice,

Not trying to get rid of them.

They arise,

We notice them.

And we bring our attention back to the sensations of the breath in the body.

Perhaps you can notice sensations or movement of the breath in the back of the body.

There might be movements in the upper back or the middle of the back.

You might notice a slight shift in pressure as you breathe in and out if your back is leaning against the back of the chair.

You might notice a subtle movement in the shoulders.

You might notice a subtle movement in the nostrils if you're breathing through your nose.

Being receptive to all the movement and sensation in the body as you breathe in and out.

And the rhythm of your breathing,

Your own natural rhythm of breathing.

Like waves on a beach,

Coming in and flowing out.

So let's take our awareness now to the very tip of the nose or the upper lip if you're breathing through your mouth.

Practicing being receptive to the sensations of the breath as it touches the tip of the nose or just inside the nose.

Those faint sensations of the breath brushing against the skin.

Does it feel cold or sharp,

Soft or warm?

So we're just gently resting our awareness.

The tip or inside the nose or on the lip.

And the quality of awareness we're after.

It's like a butterfly resting on a flower.

There's a light alertness responsive to movement and sensation.

Making a close connection with the breath in this moment,

This inhalation and this exhalation.

So broadening our awareness once again,

Getting a sense of the whole breath.

The in-breath and the out-breath.

And just noticing how it feels to pay attention to the breath in this way.

And then dropping all effort.

And then just sitting here doing nothing.

Just allowing the effects of the practice to settle.

Noticing how you feel.

And when you're ready,

Opening your eyes.

Reviews

Hi Colette
I hope this finds you well 😊 I came across your profile and this meditation for the first time this morning.
I just wanted to tell you how good this is, and how positively it impacted me as a result.
I have many years of experience as a participant on retreats, meditation classes, and of course listening to recorded meditations. The quality of the teaching and guidance you provided on this recording was just outstanding. Somehow you communicate a feeling of truly being held, and understood in your words. There is an experience and depth of understanding that comes through in your words that is very rare in my experience. So I just wanted to let you know that, and communicate my gratitude for coming across your work.

I really love this short and mindful meditation. Thank you.

Gentle. Invitational. Calm. Helpful guidance for bringing my awareness back to the breath again and again. Thank you!

Absolutely love your compassionate voice. Would love more meditations of you...

Very nice, really focused my attention. I like that you said mind wandering is “part of the practice”, I don’t know, I knew that, but the way you said it really resonated with me! Namaste

🌼🦋 The butterfly on a flower metaphor, wow, it's easier to forgive a wandering mind if it's just like a fluttering butterfly, and easier to come back to the breath if it's something as nice as a flower. 🌷 But the best thing was not that one thing but the superb guidance. Such a comforting voice.

Lovely. Needed that this morning. Thank you 🙏

Feeling so light after this session. Wonderful

Brilliant guidance!

Really well done

Beautiful. Thank you

5/5 I always come back to these Breathworks meditations. Thank you 🙏

A gentle, yet strong voice. Exactly what I needed... a clearing moment to be free from thoughts, and just breathe. Thank You... I feel very much lightened from negativity... and the subtle colors within went from an opaque greyish black to flowing sea greens and lilac. 🙏🏽💜🌔✨

Lovely, still effective, even if you're short of time

A pleasant and gentle guide to exploring the breath.

She has a distinct voice that very soothing.

What a lovely voice and a fantastic short guided meditation.

Lovely meditation to wake up to loved it ❤️

Thank you! This was so calming.

Absolutely beautiful...a sense of calm steady curiosity saturated in kindness and down to earth-ness, I feel a wonderful intimacy with my breath and the life within me.