Begin by first bringing awareness to the breath.
Watch the flow of your inhale and the flow of your exhale.
Notice the quality of the breath.
Is it rapid or slow?
Is it interrupted or smooth?
Is it shallow or deep?
Observe without judging.
By bringing awareness to the breath,
Notice if it naturally becomes deeper.
Now breathe deeply.
Slow,
Soft inhalation followed by a slow,
Soft exhalation.
Feel the breath moving gently through the entire body from the crown of the head down to the feet.
Scan the body from head to toe to see if there are any areas of physical tension,
Tightness,
Or pain.
If so,
Direct the breath to flow to those areas and massage them from within,
Creating a sense of ease and comfort.
Allow the breath to move from head to toe with ease.
Follow the wave of relaxation.
Now bring the awareness of the breath to the abdomen.
Feel the breath flowing in and out of the abdomen.
See if the abdomen feels lighter,
Clearer,
Spacious.
Slow,
Soft inhalation in the abdomen and slow,
Soft exhalation in the abdomen.
Place one hand on the navel and observe the pattern of abdominal breathing.
On the inhale,
Notice the belly gently expanding,
Pushing outwards into the hand.
On the exhale,
Notice the belly gently receding,
Moving gently towards the spine.
Let there be a complete sense of ease in the abdomen.
Practice this deep abdominal breathing at your own pace.
Let go of the hand on the belly and continue to sense the movement of the abdomen being synchronized with the flow of the breath.
Slow,
Soft inhalation.
Slow,
Soft exhalation.
Let the exhalation be slightly longer now than the inhalation to cultivate a deeper feeling of relaxation.
If you prefer to count,
Count from one to three on the inhalation,
From one to six on the exhalation.
Keep breathing deeply into the abdomen.
Feel the breath becoming softer and slower.
Bring more ease into the belly.
Continue with this practice of deep belly breathing.
Let go of the counting and let go of the focus on the abdomen.
Continue to observe a mindful inhale and mindful exhale.
As you observe this natural rhythm,
See if you can feel a slight pause between the inhale and the exhale and a slight pause between the exhale and the inhale.
Now the natural rhythm of the breath has four parts,
Including the pauses.
Allow yourself to rest in these natural pauses a little bit longer.
It is in this pause,
When the breath is not flowing,
That the mind truly rests.
Do not force yourself to stay in the pause longer.
There should be no exertion.
Slow,
Soft inhalation.
Pause.
Slow,
Soft exhalation.
Pause.
Continue observing the cycle.
Slow,
Soft inhalation.
Pause.
Slow,
Soft exhalation.
Pause.
Pause.
Now let the breath come back to normal.
Keep the eyes closed and simply observe the effect of your breathing practice.
What changes do you notice in the body,
In the mind,
In your being?
Observe from a place without any judgment.
Simply witness.
Pause.
