For this 10 minute practice,
Please assume a posture that is erect,
A proud posture,
Dignified,
Alert and awake.
And we can do this by taking a full breath,
Just breathe in,
Stretch your lungs slowly and deeply,
Taking air in into the belly and from there into the chest,
Until you are filled like a balloon.
Hold it for a moment,
Observe your posture.
Let us start the practice by stating a firm intention to follow the guidance and to bring your attention back to the practice.
As soon as you realize that the mind has been carried away,
Your tasks,
Your responsibilities,
Your plans for the rest of the day can all wait.
Give permission for your mind to step down and take a well-deserved rest.
Create a firm intention that whenever your mind will wander away,
You will remind yourself that you have taken 10 minutes to practice,
And will kindly and gently and without delay bring your mind back to the practice.
Good.
Now let us take a moment to connect with the present.
Just examine the body,
How it feels right now,
As you are sitting.
This is sitting,
So simply be aware that you are sitting.
Posture of sitting,
The sensations of sitting.
Now bring your awareness to your breathing.
Include your breathing in your awareness,
Therefore expanding your awareness.
As you breathe in,
You are aware.
As you breathe out,
You are aware.
So sitting here,
Aware of your breathing,
See if you can become aware of more parts of your experience here and now.
As you breathe,
You may also be aware of sounds from near or far.
As you breathe,
You may also be aware of your thoughts.
As you breathe,
You may also be aware of your posture.
As you breathe,
You may also be aware of the way your body feels.
As you breathe,
You may also be aware of sensations in the body.
As you breathe,
You may also be aware of your emotions.
As best you can,
Observe your breath for the entire duration of each breath.
If your mind wanders away,
As minds tend to do,
As soon as you realize,
Kindly and gently bring your awareness back to your breath,
As many times as it takes.
There is no need to do anything,
Be anywhere,
Think anything,
Or concern yourself with anything.
You are just sitting,
Breathing,
And observing.
Observing your internal experience,
Right here,
Right now.
Observe the breath and whatever else you may be aware of from a distance,
Like watching the clouds drift through the sky,
Or watching the waves come and go on the seashore.
Breathing in,
You are aware.
Breathing out,
You are aware.
Observing your breath can be very relaxing.
So if you have a full day ahead,
You can energize yourself by taking a few full breaths,
As before.
So inflate your belly,
Inflate your chest,
Stretch out your lungs,
Hold it for a moment,
Feel the oxygen,
Feel the energy,
And let go.
And let's do that again.
Take a deep,
Slow breath into the belly,
Into the chest,
Stretch out your lungs,
Hold for a moment,
Feel the oxygen,
The energy,
The life,
Feeding,
Entering your body,
And let go.
Thank you for practicing.
Have a great day,
And a great life.
