Sitting in a comfortable position,
Any seated position that is comfortable for you.
With your eyes closed,
Begin to notice your breath.
Nothing to do with the breath.
Simply notice.
And seal your lips and begin to inhale and exhale through your nose.
Inhaling for a count of three and exhaling for a count of three.
Shoulders melt away from the ears.
The jaw is relaxed.
You're inhaling for three and exhaling for three.
And as we move forward,
Begin to increase your count.
Inhaling for four.
And exhaling for the same number.
Your breath may be already a little deeper.
So you can increase the number to four or five or six.
With the intention being deepening the breath,
Carrying your breath all the way to the pit of your belly.
The crown of your head is lengthening towards the ceiling.
Creating space in your spine.
If you are laying down,
Imagine the crown of the head pulling towards the surface behind you.
While your tailbone pulls in the opposite direction.
And whenever your mind begins to wander,
Your awareness gets taken away by the thoughts that are floating through your mind.
Just gently notice and begin your count over again.
Inhaling and exhaling for the same number.
The thoughts that float through our mind can feel like the undercurrent of the ocean.
Very strong,
Pulling us into a story.
Into something we need to do later.
And something that happened in the past.
And some days the current is strong.
Some days,
Some moments,
The current is gentle.
But regardless,
The practice is coming back to this moment.
By noticing our breath and counting as we inhale.
And counting as we exhale.
Gently beginning again when you find you've lost your way.
Starting at one.
Inhaling through the nose.
And exhaling through the nose.
Begin to bring your awareness to your jaw.
Release any tension you're holding in the jaw.
Allow your tongue to rest on the roof of your mouth.
Allow the shoulders to melt away from the ears.
As the crown of your head lengthens towards the space above you.
Diving deep into the inner stillness.
Right down within you.
Tapping into who you are.
Without any story.
Without any labels.
Simply being.
And you may have begun to simply notice your breath.
As it enters in and out of your nose.
Or you may be aware of the rising and falling of your belly.
Releasing the counting.
And falling into a natural state of beingness.
There's nowhere to go.
There's nothing to do.
Simply be as you are.
Allowing our light to shine.
From the stillness within.
Out into the world.
Into our experiences.
Into our relationship with ourselves and others.
Trusting that all the wisdom and all the guidance that you need is deep down within you.
Knowing that this wisdom can be accessed at any point in time.
Simply by turning your awareness within.
And allowing the current of the external world become the backdrop.
While you bring this inner stillness,
This inner power and wisdom within yourself.
To the foreground.
Keeping that connection.
By being as you are.
Rather than who you think yourself to be.
Rather than who you feel yourself to be.
But simply being.
