Welcome to this mindfulness of breath meditation which will take around 15 minutes.
Begin by sitting comfortably on a meditation cushion or a straight back chair.
Whichever posture you choose,
The most important thing is to be relaxed and at ease.
If you're sitting on a chair,
Let your posture be upright without being stiff.
With your feet flat on the floor which will help you feel grounded and present.
Imagine sitting like a mountain,
Solid,
Still,
Untroubled by the weather all around it,
Whether it's a calm day or stormy winds and rain.
If you're struggling with painful thoughts or emotions,
Remember that they're just like the weather.
Underneath all that,
You,
Like the mountain,
Are calm and still at your centre.
Close your eyes if that feels comfortable to you or lower your gaze and soften your focus.
Let your awareness focus on the sounds that are all around you.
Both the small,
Quiet,
Subtle sounds and louder,
More vivid ones.
See if you can pay attention to all of these sounds without judgement,
Liking or disliking,
Labelling them as pleasant or unpleasant.
Just let the sounds come to you.
Now bring your attention into the body.
Try imagining that your attention is like the white beam of a spotlight on the dark stage of a theatre.
Consciously move that beam around your body.
Notice the weight of your buttocks and thighs resting on the cushion or chair,
Your feet grounded on the floor,
The weight of your arms and hands resting in your lap.
If you find any areas of tightness or tension,
Allow those places to soften and relax.
Know where to be right now.
Nothing to do.
The only thing you need to do is breathe.
Now imagine shifting the spotlight of your attention to focus on the breath.
Try following the breath all the way in on each breath,
Starting at the nostrils,
Down your throat,
Into the lungs and belly,
Whole body expanding and inflating on the in-breath.
Then track the sensations of the breath all the way out,
Belly,
Chest,
Upper back,
Shoulders,
Throat,
Nostrils or mouth.
Now settle on one place in your body.
That could be the wall of muscle in your abdomen which expands on the in-breath and falls away on the out-breath,
Or your chest slowly rising and falling with each breath like waves on a calm,
Gently rolling sea.
Or focus on the tip of your nostrils,
Slightly cooler on the in-breath and warmer on the out-breath.
Remember that we're not trying to change the breath in any way,
Just becoming aware of the fact that your body is breathing,
Just as it has been for every second of every day since the moment you were born.
You Of course,
As we start to focus on the breath,
We start to realise that this apparently simple task is not so easy.
The mind is so busy all the time,
Worrying,
Planning,
Imagining,
Engaging in long imaginary arguments with people who've upset you.
So if you notice your mind engaging in these activities,
Don't worry about it.
In fact,
This is one of the main reasons we meditate,
To realise how busy our minds are all the time,
Even when we invite them to be quiet.
It's just what minds do.
Every time you notice that your attention has been pulled away from the breath,
Just gently bring it back.
It's like a butterfly,
Fluttering about from flower to flower,
Then settling on one bloom for a few seconds,
Before fluttering off again.
And,
As if we were touching that butterfly,
We need to be gentle with ourselves when bringing our attention back to the breath.
No need to be frustrated or feel like you're doing it wrong.
Just gently pick your attention up from wherever it has fluttered off and bring it back to the breath again.
If this happens one time,
Ten times or a hundred times in each meditation,
It's always the same.
Notice that your mind has wandered and gently bring your attention back to the breath.
Remember to check in with your posture from time to time.
If you notice that you've slumped a little,
Just gently roll your shoulders back and lengthen your spine.
And check that your attention hasn't wandered.
If it has,
It's not a problem.
Just keep gently bringing it back to the breath.
Now use the stretches of silence to practice on your own until you hear the bell.
The bell is invited.
