This 10 minute practice of observing the breath is designed for those who find it hard to focus and for those who find that observing the breath is boring.
In this practice we will observe the different dimensions of the breathing experience,
The different ways we can breathe.
To begin,
Place it comfortably on a chair or a cushion with a straight back,
In a posture that is alert but not stiff.
Your posture should project being present and aware.
Close your eyes if that feels comfortable,
Or otherwise softly gaze downwards.
Now turn your attention to the sound made by your breathing,
The sound of your in-going breath,
The sound of your outgoing breath.
Simply sitting here,
Breathing and listening,
Allowing the sound to take center stage in your awareness.
And if you are breathing silently,
A silent inhale or a silent exhale,
Or perhaps both,
Then simply listen to the absence of sound.
Now pay attention to how the air enters your nostrils.
Take some moment to pay attention and notice if more air enters through the right or through the left nostril,
Or perhaps equally from both.
If you find it hard to determine,
Perhaps taking one or two more forceful breaths can help you.
Now point your attention to the air itself.
Notice the smell of the air.
Notice the temperature of the air.
Its texture.
Its freshness or lack of.
The way it feels.
Simply notice.
Simply feel the air.
Now notice whether you take a deep breath or a small breath,
Without changing anything.
Just noticing how much air are you inhaling and how much air are you exhaling.
In this practice there is no right or wrong way to breathe.
We simply observe,
In this case the size of our inhale and exhale.
Take a few moments to observe that.
Good.
Now take a few moments to notice if you are exhaling and inhaling equally,
Or perhaps the exhale takes longer than the inhale or the other way around.
As best you can,
Avoid guiding your breath.
Simply allow it to be as it is.
Good.
Now pay attention to the point of transition between the inhale and the exhale.
Perhaps there is a pause between the inhale and exhale.
Or perhaps they flow seamlessly from one to the other.
In any case,
Pay attention with each breath to that point of transition.
Good.
Now do the same for the point of transition between the exhale and the inhale.
Notice how that transition point feels.
Notice the length of the transition.
Notice the pause or the lack of pause.
Good.
Now turn your attention to where the air goes.
Do you breathe into the belly,
Or do you breathe into the chest,
Or perhaps a combination of both?
Take a few moments to determine that.
Good.
Now turn your attention to the feelings and sensations of breathing,
The shifting patterns of sensations during the inhale,
The expansion of the lungs,
And during the exhale.
Notice what sensations and feelings come with each part of the breath.
Perhaps some slight changes in the posture and position of the body during the inhale or exhale.
Take a few moments to determine that.
Just feeling the sensations and feelings to tell you that you are breathing.
Good.
The breath may seem very simple,
Perhaps even a boring subject to observe,
But in fact it is a very complex thing.
Usually we breathe without paying attention,
Without noticing.
So when we include the breath in our awareness we are in fact expanding our awareness.
Observing the breath crumbs the mind and allows for clarity.
It improves our ability to focus our attention.
Also as we end this practice,
Remember that the breath is there for you at any moment today,
As the gateway to a higher sense of awareness and inner calm.
