20 Minute Breath Counting

In this 20 minute practice, we will be practicing counting the breath as a means of keeping our attention stable and focused. We will start by getting settled and centered, and by relaxing our bodies and breathing. As you get ready, we will begin to follow and count the breaths as they occur naturally in the body. By so doing, we will begin to realize the inherent freedom and peace that true presence brings, and if you are ready, we will briefly examine the space between "you" and the breath.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this meditation practice. This meditation practice will be a 20-minute breath counting meditation practice wherein we'll use the neutral object of the breath to help focus and anchor our attention. As you come into this practice find yourself a comfortable seat allowing your pelvis to land in this seat at a natural angle that provides both comfort for your lower body and a stable anchor for your spine to rest upright and relaxed. Take a moment to consciously place the hands somewhere somewhere that won't cause strain in your shoulders or your back during this practice. And before we begin we'll just take a moment to reaffirm to yourself your intention for this practice the reason that you showed up on your cushion today. Allowing yourself a moment for a brief reminder that if your attention wanders during this practice that that's perfectly okay it's natural. Don't fight it just note where your attention wandered to and gently guide the attention back to the breath as gently as you would a small child who's gone astray. And now we'll begin our practice together with three deep easy breaths breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Let's do these together deep breath in slow exhale out deep breath in slow exhale out deep breath in slow exhale out allowing the breath now to come back to a normal natural rhythm ensuring that you don't get too involved with it the body knows how to breathe it knows when to breathe just let that happen and I'll invite you to turn your attention to the sounds and smells of the space around you noticing any sounds or smells no matter how prominent or how subtle and without getting involved with them just leave them where they are and move on to the next one. Letting those sounds and smells now stay resting in your awareness let's shift the focus to the physical senses of the body noticing first the physical sensations of your feet or legs on the floor or surface beneath you briefly scanning up the legs and noticing the points of contact between your legs and the floor noticing your seat on the surface beneath it and the points of contact and noticing your hands in your lap or on your legs and the points of contact allowing these physical sensations now to rest in your awareness I'll invite you to turn your attention to your breath and follow your next breath in through your nose and down to your belly and back out through your nose and as you continue to follow the breath in this way notice any physical sensations that accompany the breath as it moves through the body maybe that's the air rushing in and out of your nose maybe it's the chest or the belly inflating and deflating with each breath or maybe it's fabric moving on your skin as you breathe and just as before just noting these sensations now getting involved and moving on and with your next inhale I'll invite you to allow your attention to come to rest wherever you notice the breath the most in your body again maybe that's the nose maybe that's the chest or the belly just wherever you feel it the most let your attention rest there and without influencing the breath let it observe the physical sensations of the breath in this spot as if the attentions just sitting on the sidelines and just watching the breath unfold in front of it so uninvolved with the breath that it's almost like each inhale and each exhale is a little mini surprise each time and with your attention now resting in that spot effortlessly just observing I'll invite you to as you're ready begin to count your breaths inhaling for one exhaling for two inhaling for three exhaling for four and keeping going up to a count of ten before starting over you you remembering that if the attention wanders no problem just know where it wandered to and guide it back to the breath you you you you continuing to count the breath noting if the mind wanders and gently guiding it back you you you you and as you continue to count the breath take just a brief moment to really allow your attention to settle into this role of the peaceful accepting observer of this natural process remembering if it helps an image of sitting on the sidelines watching each inhale come into the body and watching each exhale leave the body you you you a peaceful accepting observer with nothing to do but count and watch you you you you taking a moment to explore that the peace and calmness you seek is just inherent of true presence of mind it's ever-present it's always there we just have to center ourselves enough to notice it and now just for a brief moment I'll invite you to just let the mind go if it's been wanting to think let it think if it wants to stay still let it stay still and just observe where it goes and bringing the attention back now to the breath following your next inhale in through your nose and down to your belly and back out through your nose and as you continue following noticing again the physical sensations of the breath in the body with your next inhale breathing into your lower body noticing the physical sensations of the hands in the lap around the legs the sensations of your seat on the surface beneath it and the sensations of your feet or legs on the floor or surface beneath them coming back into the physical senses from your awareness allow the sounds and smells of the room around you to come back to your attention coming back into the space that you're in and taking a brief moment for gratitude for yourself having taken the time for this practice gratitude for your mind for having given you the forum for this practice and gratitude for any moments where you noticed your mind wandering when you're ready you can introduce some subtle movement maybe wiggling the fingers or the toes maybe rolling the head shrugging the shoulders if that feels good and when you're ready you can blink open your eyes

Reviews

Just right, 😊