Welcome to Waking Waves,
Taking a breath.
In today's breath awareness meditation we'll be practicing for about 10 minutes.
So taking a moment to find a comfortable position whether sitting,
Standing or lying down and bringing an alertness to your posture but not tensed.
Your shoulders and arms can be relaxed by your sides or resting on your lap and your eyes can be closed or your gaze lowered.
You may wish to bring cushions for support or a blanket for warmth too.
And perhaps taking a moment to recognize that you put this time aside,
An intention to simply be here with the breath.
And beginning now by noticing what's going on in the mind and body,
Whatever is present,
Thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations.
There might be a sense of temperature in the room,
A warmth or coolness,
A feeling of connection with the surface you were upon,
Of pressure and contact,
A sense of being here,
Present in this moment.
And now narrowing our attention to the sensations of breathing.
Wherever you notice the breath right now,
This could be in the chest,
The nose,
The back of the throat or the belly.
And staying here if it's comfortable for you,
Following each in breath for its full duration and each out breath for its full duration.
You might notice the chest or belly rise with the in breath and fall away with the out breath.
And you might notice other movements too.
And remember that we're not seeking any special breaths,
Not forcing the breath.
There is no right or wrong way to breathe,
No judgments here.
Each breath brings its own sensations and each breath is unique in its own way.
Following each one now,
Breathing in and breathing out.
And if at any point your mind wanders or you get caught up in thinking,
Gently return your attention back to the breath with kindness and friendliness.
It's easy to be self-critical or judgmental when the mind wanders,
But this is what the mind does.
And we're not here to stop our thinking or empty the mind of thoughts,
Just to notice its patterns and habits.
Acknowledging these and returning back to the focus of our attention,
The breath.
And whether this happens once or a hundred times,
Each time we notice we can begin again with this in-breath and this out-breath.
Each in-breath is an opportunity to start again and each out-breath a chance to let go.
And now moving our attention to the breath in the belly,
Tuning into the sensations here if it's comfortable for you.
And if it isn't,
It's okay to stay with the breath elsewhere.
Noticing the sensations which accompany the breath as it comes in.
How the breath fills the body and how the belly falls away as we breathe out.
Following each breath one by one,
Perhaps noticing the slight pause between the in-breath and the out-breath.
And in the silence ahead,
Continuing this focus of the breath in the belly.
And whenever the mind wanders,
Each time gently escorting the attention back.
Starting with this breath,
Sitting here,
Just breathing.
Nothing else to do.
Nowhere else to be.
Just this next breath coming in and this one going out.
And for the remainder of the practice,
Resting your attention wherever you choose on the breath as it comes into the belly,
The chest or nose.
Wherever it's most comfortable for you.
And knowing that the breath is here anytime you need it.
Whenever you need to pause,
To slow down.
Whenever you choose to take a breath.
