Mindful Meditation: Breath Practice

This Mindful Meditation is focused on the breath. Here, you will use a specific breathing technique as a way to reconnect with your own body. Learn how to navigate thoughts and emotions as you cultivate stillness.

Transcript

And now I invite you into an introduction of breath practice. We begin this practice by sitting in a comfortable yet dignified posture, Allowing your eyes to gently close if that's accessible to you. In this posture, You'll take a few deep breaths in and out, Becoming aware of the breath entering the body, The felt sense of the breath in the body, And allow yourself to also become aware of the breath exiting the body. Inhale, Pause, Exhale, Pause. Mindfulness breathing is, Yes, About the inhale and exhale. And it is also about the pause, What happens between the breath. So we begin this practice to open our awareness to the movement of the breath, Not to the thought of the breath, But to the movement, The sensations of the breath. There is a way for us to know directly how the breath touches and moves the body. Our breath is our most constant companion, And inhale stretches, Expands the body, And the exhale collapses the body. Take time to discover the stillness of the body with inhale and exhale. Emotions, Thoughts, Perceptions, Sensations will arise in your body and in your mind as you practice. This is not a problem. Find comfort in knowing you're not alone. Your mind is simply doing what it's built to do. Think. So keep your body relaxed, As relaxed as possible. Rest into the full experience of the movement of the breath, Stillness of the body. Let your primary focus be on the body and the breath in this moment. Release now your awareness on the exhale of your breath. Become aware of the sensation of the exhale. Feel the settling, The letting go. Now place your awareness in the fullness of the inhale. Practice the expansion of your chest, The invigoration of the body, The awareness of this moment. And finally begin to experience the fullness of the inhale, Then the exhale, And then the pauses at both ends. There's no need to adjust or judge or manipulate your breath, Just experience breathing. Be curious about how the breath is moving through the stillness of your body. Be curious about how the breath is your constant companion on this journey. Now take the next few moments to become one with your breath, The felt sense of the body. And at the sound of the bell, Rise in awareness with your compassion, With your kindness to the breath. You You