This is a sitting meditation,
So make sure that you are sitting comfortably,
With your back straight,
As much as comfortable,
In a posture that is a posture of wakefulness,
A posture of alertness,
A dignified posture.
Now as best you can,
Maintain this posture for the remainder of this short practice,
And in this practice,
There is nothing you need to do,
There is nowhere you need to be,
Simply to observe,
To observe each breath,
And we observe the breath not directly,
But by observing the ever-changing patterns of sensations that come with each breath,
The ever-shifting,
Ever-changing pattern of sensations that come with each breath,
So as we breathe in,
We watch the sensations of breathing in,
And as we breathe out,
We observe the sensations of breathing out,
Sensations in the abdomen,
Sensations in the chest,
Maybe sensations in the back,
If you are leaning against something,
And sooner or later,
Your mind is bound to wander,
Wander away from the sensations of breathing.
When you realize this,
Kindly and gently,
But also patiently and persistently bring it back.
The mind's nature is to wander,
It is not a mistake to lose the breath,
And we also don't want to change anything about the way the body is breathing,
We just allow the body to breathe its own way,
And we just observe,
Like sitting in front of the seashore and watching the waves go by,
Here is a wave rising,
Rising,
And falling,
And another wave rising,
Rising,
And falling,
So you observe your sensations,
Here are the sensations of the breath rising,
Rising up,
And falling,
And again rising,
Rising,
And the breath is falling,
And you just watch,
And when the mind wanders away,
As soon as you realize,
You bring it back,
Patiently and persistently.
So as the breath comes,
You watch,
As the breath goes out,
You watch,
And as you watch the breath,
You may notice that it is changing,
The pattern of breath can change in some way when you watch it,
So you note also the pattern of breathing,
So paying attention not just to the sensations,
But also to the overall pattern.
Now say if as you observe the sensations of breathing,
You can also identify the sense of satisfaction that comes with each breath,
For breathing is very satisfying,
If you are not sure about it,
You can try holding your breath for a few moments and see,
Try to find that sense of satisfaction,
Somewhere within that pattern of sensations,
As you finish the inhale,
And whenever your mind wanders away,
As soon as you realize,
Kindly and gently,
Bring it back,
And just let go of whatever you were thinking about,
And continue to observe the sensations of breathing,
Noting the sensations of the rise of the breath,
Of the fall of the breath,
And to see how each breath makes us feel,
Bringing the mind again when it wanders,
That is the practice,
The only thing you really need to do,
Otherwise just observe,
And let's do that in silence for the next two minutes,
Remember that you are always breathing,
You can always observe your breath,
And when you do so,
You enter a space where all the concerns of the day temporarily cease to be,
So make sure you find the time during the day to also find a few moments to simply just observe,
Just be,
Just be aware that you are breathing.
