Welcome.
My name is Elliot Trevez and I'll be your guide for this meditation.
This recording is part of the Breath is My Body series,
Exclusive to StressFit.
This is a breathing meditation that has been designed to offer you maximum relaxation,
Alertness and presence.
We'll be using the breath as a tool to focus awareness on the sensations of the body as it effortlessly and consciously breathes in the present moment.
Find a comfortable position for this meditation.
Maintain a straight back with its natural curves.
Then gently close the eyes and mouth.
To support turning your attention inward,
You might begin by taking an intentional posture that supports the ease of sitting in a comfortable position and the wakefulness of sitting upright.
If you can adjust your body to be even just 10% more comfortable and stable,
Please do so now.
Next,
Take a moment to notice your body in this position.
You can place your awareness on your hands and where they're resting effortlessly on your legs,
Your feet and where they're making contact with the floor,
Your head and the space around it,
Your chest and abdomen and the expanding and contracting,
Your butt and the contact with the surface beneath you supporting you.
Scan your awareness to the sensations of the body and see if you can release any areas of physical tension or tightness.
Now,
As we come back to our senses,
Establish the breath as our home base.
Notice your body from the inside.
Begin to tune into your breath in the body,
Feeling the natural flow of breath.
You don't need to do anything to your breath.
Let yourself relax and become curious about your body seated here.
The sensations of your body,
The touch,
The connection with the floor or chair.
How do you feel the breath in your body?
What sensations come up as you breathe?
You may feel the touch of your breath upon the nostrils or on your upper lip.
Or perhaps you feel the movement of your chest and the rising and falling of your belly.
Or perhaps you feel the whole body like a balloon expanding with the in-breath and deflating with the out-breath.
So just take some moments to bring your attention to the sensations of breathing in one of these areas and feel it as a relaxed attentiveness,
A place to call home base.
There's no need to control the breath.
Just sense that you're receiving the breath much like you would listen to sound with a relaxed awareness.
This life breath is your home base right now,
The place to rest and just be aware.
In these next moments,
Simply relax and stay alert with the flow of the in-breath and out-breath.
Relax any areas of tightness or tension.
Just breathe and soften.
This practice is about the moment-to-moment awareness of breathing.
As the body breathes in,
Feeling the sensations of the body breathing in.
As the body breathes out,
Feeling the sensations of the body breathing out.
Feel the breath,
Each breath as an event,
From moment to moment.
Your mind may wander.
You may start thinking about other things.
If this happens,
It is not a problem.
It's not bad or wrong.
It's very natural.
Simply pause,
Noticing that your mind has wandered.
Relax into the sensation of being present for it and then gently come back to the next inhale and exhale.
Allow your breath to be your best friend.
Feel it as your best friend.
Allow your breath to be your home base.
Feel the breath as your home base.
Let your breath connect you with the presence in this very moment.
Breathing in,
Feeling what it feels like to be breathing in and breathing out,
Simply noticing the sensations of breathing out.
This is not so much a practice of sustaining the attention on the breath,
But rather the practice of returning to the breath whenever you've noticed the mind wandering.
You're simply developing the capacity to notice when thoughts are happening without getting lost in the storyline.
Each moment is an opportunity of coming back to the here and now to be present for each inhalation and exhalation.
So we'll stay with this for some time in silence,
Just a short time,
Noticing our breath from time to time getting lost in thought and then returning to the breath.
Only if you can be really kind to yourself in the process.
Uh,
Allow yourself to relax even deeper and then offer yourself some appreciation for doing this practice and cultivating a sense of friendship and home base for yourself and your breath.
As you notice the mind getting quieter,
You might sense the peace that arises when you relax even more and surrender your awareness to the inflow and outflow of your breath.
Breathing in,
Know that you're breathing in.
Breathing out,
Know that you're breathing out.
Being aware of the beginnings and endings of each breath,
Fully here,
Awake,
At home,
At peace,
In presence.
In preparing to end this meditation,
Expand your attention to sense your whole body sitting here,
Noticing the areas of contact with the body and surface,
Feeling just this inhalation and exhalation with the whole body.
Namaste.
