For this mindfulness practice session,
We're going to begin by developing a practice of mindfulness of breathing.
This preliminary practice will set the stage for many of the future practices.
And with each practice session,
We will begin and end with the sound of the bell.
And for now,
The encouragement is to find a comfortable way to sit,
Holding the posture of the body in a way that is relaxed and alert.
Allowing yourself to be upright without being uptight.
Allowing the eyes to close.
And beginning by establishing present time awareness.
The sound of the bell.
Bringing awareness to the present time experience.
And as you begin to bring awareness into the body,
To see if you can locate somewhere in the body where the breath is most easily noticed.
Often this can be the nostrils,
The rise and fall of the chest,
Or the belly.
So just allowing your attention to draw into one of those locations.
And this is the establishment of an anchor.
So letting your attention rest on this location of the body.
And simply beginning by seeing if you can become present,
Fully aware for the moment that the in-breath begins.
And as you breathe in,
Seeing if you can connect and sustain your attention with the full length of the in-breath.
Breathing in.
Following this all the way till there's no more breathing in.
The body has fully received this in-breath.
And slowly watching as it turns to the out-breath.
Seeing if you can connect and sustain your attention with the full length of the out-breath.
Breathing out.
And to see if you can bring attention to the moment where the out-breath is fully complete.
No more breathing out.
And the body simply begins to reach for the next in-breath.
And this process begins over and over.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Connecting and sustaining your attention with the full length of the in-breath.
Breathing all the way in.
Knowing that you're breathing in.
Recognizing the moment where the in-breath is complete.
No more breathing in.
And experiencing the body as it freely lets go of the breath with no resistance.
Connecting and sustaining your attention with the full length of the out-breath.
Breathing out.
And as you develop mindfulness of breathing,
One thing that will happen is you will recognize that you're unable to stay with the breath the whole time and there is a distraction.
A sensation in the body,
A noise in the room,
A thought in the mind of a memory or a plan.
There's nothing wrong with this.
This is part of the practice.
A very important part of the practice is to recognize the distraction and the mind wandering.
And so when you see this happen,
Simply recognize it for what it is and return your attention back to the sensations of breathing in or breathing out.
Picking up the breath wherever it may be in that process and simply beginning again.
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And as you continue cultivating mindfulness of breathing to recognize if there's any tension or tightness that has arisen in the body.
So continuing to allow the body to be relaxed and alert,
The posture to be upright.
And to continue practice mindfulness of breathing in the present time experience.
Developing a focused attention.
And when the mind wanders to recognize that as quickly as you can and simply return back to the sensations of breathing in breathing out.
And continuing to recognize where in the body system is it most easily for you to notice breathing and letting the attention rest in that location and returning to that location over and over again.
The mind wandering and its thoughts are not a problem.
They're just something to recognize,
To be aware of.
And then return your attention back to its primary focus of mindfulness of breathing.
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Good work.
Thank you for your practice.
And we'll see you on screen shortly.
Be well.
