Come to a nice comfortable seat.
Move your shoulders down your spine,
Rest your hands on your knees or your thighs.
Let's start with some nice long slow deep breaths.
Inhale,
Fill up your belly,
Fill up your chest.
Exhale,
Let it up.
And just continue to breathe at your own pace.
Taking several long slow deep breaths,
Breathing in fully.
Exhaling completely.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth.
And just allow your breath to find its own natural rhythm.
And bring your full attention to the in breath as it enters your nostrils.
And bring your full attention to the in breath as it enters your nostrils.
Which holds down to the lungs,
Causes your belly to expand.
And notice each out breath as your belly contracts and air moves up,
Back through the lungs,
Back through the nostrils or mouth.
And really invite your full attention to flow with your breath.
And just let it flow with your breath.
Notice how the inhale is different from the exhale.
You may notice the air is cool as it enters your nose.
Warm as you exhale.
And let go of any noises around you.
If at any time you become distracted by sounds in your room or out of the room,
Just notice them and then bring your attention back to your breath.
Breathe as you breathe.
Don't try to change anything or control your breath in any way.
Just observe and accept this experience in this moment without judgment.
Pay attention to each inhale,
Each exhale.
And just notice if your mind starts to wander off towards any plans or thoughts,
Just notice that your mind is wandering and watch the thought as it comes into your awareness as neutrally as possible.
And then practice letting go of the thought as if it were a leaf floating down a stream.
You can literally visualize yourself placing each thought that comes up in your mind on a leaf and watch it float down the stream and out of sight.
And then come back to the breath.
Your breath is your anchor.
You can come back here anytime over and over again.
And again,
Just notice when your mind wanders.
Notice what are the thoughts that kind of like really get you.
Awareness is the richest part of learning.
Doing this,
You can strengthen your ability to detach from thoughts and bring your mind,
Your focus back to your breath and practice that.
Practice coming home to the breath with your full attention.
Watch your belly rise on the in breath.
Watch the belly fall back towards the spine on the out breath.
Just allow yourself to be with your breath as it flows in and out completely.
Again,
Keep noticing,
Stay aware.
You might get distracted by discomfort or pain,
Twitching,
Itching,
Something that pulls your attention away from the breath.
And you may also notice feelings arising.
Whatever they may be,
Happiness,
Sadness,
Upset,
Anger.
Just notice what comes up.
Notice the thoughts,
Notice the stories.
And just notice,
Notice where your mind went and don't judge it,
Don't push it away,
Don't wish it were different or like get lost in it,
Cling to it.
Just bring your mind back to your breath.
Breathe in and out.
Follow the air all the way in,
All the way out.
Just really feeling in the moment,
Being present and mindful.
And if your mind wanders away from your breath,
Just notice without judging it,
Whether it's a thought,
Emotion,
Sensation,
Whatever it is that grabs you,
Just gently come back to your breath.
Just gently come back to your breath.
And just notice.
Again,
Notice where your mind is,
Come back to your breath.
Slowly allow your attention to expand as this practice comes to an end.
Just notice your entire body and then beyond your body to the room you were in.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes and come back to alert,
Awake.
Please just know the breath is always with you as a tool to bring you back to the present moment.
So I invite you to set your intention to use this breathing practice throughout your day to support you in increasing your attention.
Namaste.
