Welcome to this practice,
Mindfulness of breath.
Finding a comfortable position sitting on a chair or on the floor with a straight back,
Body relaxed and stable.
You can also lie down if you prefer.
Gently closing your eyes or looking down with a soft gaze.
Taking a moment to settle in by letting go of your day and simply bringing your awareness into the present moment.
Becoming more and more relaxed with each incoming breath and letting go of any tension,
Worry or anxiety with each outgoing breath.
There is nothing expected of you at this moment.
Simply relaxing into the present slowing down and becoming aware of how we're feeling.
There is not a right thing or a wrong thing to feel.
Simply becoming aware.
Our intention for this practice is to cultivate present moment awareness with kindness and curiosity.
To begin with gently bringing our awareness to our breath flow.
The incoming breath,
The outgoing breath.
Simply observing our natural breath flow without any attempt to control it in any way.
Noticing the qualities of your breathing.
Is it deep?
Is it shallow?
Observing the sensations of the breath in our body.
Where do you feel the breath most vividly?
How do you know your body is breathing right now?
You may become aware of the rise and the fall of the abdomen,
Expansion and contraction of the chest or notice any subtle sensations in the nostrils.
Bringing our awareness to a part where we notice the sensations of our breathing.
If the mind wanders off simply noticing what is on the mind.
Seeing the thoughts and gently coming back to the breath flow without judgment,
Frustration or criticism.
The mind will wander off many times during this practice and it is absolutely normal.
Our role is to notice the wandering mind and bringing our attention back to our breathing.
When we get lost in thoughts simply acknowledging it and coming back to the breath again and again with kindness.
Nothing is lost,
We always have the next moment,
The next breath that is coming our way.
Gently bringing our awareness to our abdominal area and observing each cycle of breath for a while.
Becoming aware of sensations of each incoming breath and each outgoing breath.
Our breath has been with us since our birth yet we rarely realize it in our busy lives.
Can we start treating each incoming breath as a new beginning,
A new moment and each outgoing breath as a complete letting go,
Surrendering.
This is how our lives unfold,
Breath by breath by breath,
Moment by moment by moment.
Staying with the expansion and contraction of the abdominal area with each breath.
Staying with the expansion and contraction of the abdominal area with each breath.
Now gently shifting our awareness from the abdomen into the nostrils.
Can you feel the touch of the breath in your nostrils?
From which nostril does the breath come in and go out?
Left,
Right or maybe from both at times?
Is there a difference between the incoming breath and the outgoing breath?
You may realize that the outgoing breath is slightly warmer than the incoming breath.
Noticing the sensations of the breath in the nostrils as it comes in,
As it goes out.
Observing the natural breath flow.
Where is your attention right now?
Are you still observing your breath or did your mind wander off?
If it did,
Can you gently bring it back to the breath flow?
Taking a deep breath in and out,
Letting go of our focus from the breath and noticing our body sitting or lying here.
Becoming aware of any physical sensations in the body.
Noticing any sounds in the environment and simply resting in awareness for a moment.
Now gently starting to move your body and allow the qualities of relaxation,
Presence and awareness to integrate into your daily life.
