20 Minutes Of Restorative Breathing

In this practice, Gary guides you through the simple practice of being with your breath. This is a restorative practice, in which you'll connect with your breathing and allow your attention to rest on the cycle of your breathing. We take the experience a little deeper, by focusing on the transition point between your breaths. Following this, we open up our awreness to all of our breathing once more before we bring the meditation to an end.

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Transcript

Hello and welcome to this meditation of 20 minutes of restorative breathing.

In this meditation we're going to take some time just to reconnect with our breath and just practice being centered,

Practice returning to our breath when we get distracted and practice coming to a place of peace and calmness inside of ourself.

Now I would like you just to consider three commitments for this meditation.

The first commitment is to find a posture that is comfortable,

That isn't rigid,

But is also a posture that you're able to stay in one position and stay still for the 20 minutes of the meditation.

Try not to fidget or move.

So select a posture that you know that you're going to be able to maintain in complete stillness for the whole of this meditation.

The next commitment is to just notice with a sense of kindness and compassion when your mind does get distracted.

When you find yourself lost in a thought,

Lost in a story,

When you find yourself in the past or in the future,

When you find yourself worrying about your day or events in your life,

Just have a commitment to notice that without any judgment.

And the last commitment is just to always return to your breath and the stillness of your breath.

To always use your breath as an anchor,

To always use your breath as a point of calmness and security and wholeness.

So we'll start by taking one deep breath in through our nose and a nice long out breath through our mouth.

And we're going to do that one more time.

We're going to take a nice long in-breath through our nose and a nice long out-breath through our mouth.

And really notice what releases for you on that out-breath.

And now just spend some moments connecting with your breathing and the cycle of your breathing.

Notice the cool touch of an in-breath.

The transition to an out-breath and then the warm touch of the out-breath and then the transition again to an in-breath.

See if you can take your attention to your breathing.

Imagine that your attention is like a leaf floating on top of the water.

Imagine that you're in the middle of the water.

See if you can take your attention to your breathing.

Imagine that your attention is like a leaf floating on top of the water.

You're not trying to have a very hard focused attention on your breathing.

You're just trying to bring your awareness and your attention to your breathing as light as that leaf.

That it's just held by the surface tension between the leaf and the water.

And as the water moves up and down,

The leaf moves up and down and as your breath moves in and out,

Your attention lightly follows your breathing.

Just ask yourself the question,

Where is my mind right now?

And if it's not with your breathing,

Then with a sense of kindness and compassion,

Bring your attention back to your breathing and the cycle of your breathing.

Bring your attention back to your breathing and the cycle of your breathing.

I just want you to start to pay attention to all of your breathing.

Pay attention to the touch of the air filling your nasal passages.

Pay attention to the way that your chest and your lungs and your rib cage and your muscles move every time you breathe in,

Like a balloon you expand.

Pay attention to the air leaving your body,

Up again through your nasal passages,

Out through your nose.

Pay attention to any sensations that you can feel of the air entering and leaving your body.

Pay attention to the clothes moving on your skin.

Where's your mind right now?

Is it with your breathing or is it somewhere else?

And if it's somewhere else,

Just notice where it is and without any judgment,

Without any frustration or irritation that your mind's gone off somewhere.

Just bring it back to your breathing and see if you can be aware of everything that goes on in your body when you breathe.

The movements of your muscles,

The movements of your body,

The movements of your muscles,

The changing texture of your clothes,

The sounds of your breathing,

The differences in temperature,

The sensations of the air passing over your skin.

Just have an awareness of everything that you can to do with your breathing.

There's no right or wrong way to do meditation.

There's no need to sit in a particular posture.

There's no need to try to force the experience.

There's no need to be afraid of anything.

There's no need to be afraid of anything.

There's no need to try to force the experience.

Just allow your attention to focus lightly and completely on your breathing.

Where is your mind right now?

If it's outside of yourself then just notice that.

That is in the noticing that we're 100% mindful.

So rather than being frustrated or irritated that your mind's gone off somewhere else,

Be grateful and thankful that you noticed and that you have this opportunity to be mindful and bring your awareness and your attention back to your breathing.

So you now let's take the experience a little deeper.

I want you to take your attention and your awareness.

I want you to focus on the transition point between an in-breath and an out-breath.

And so when that transition point comes still with a sense of lightness,

Just bring your awareness and your attention to that transition point and see if you can notice that there isn't just a little bit of lightness.

So now just be aware of that constant motion and be aware of the transition between an in-breath and an out-breath and the out-breath and the in-breath.

So now let's take the experience a little deeper.

So now let's take the experience a little deeper.

And be aware of the transition between an in-breath and an out-breath and the out-breath and the in-breath.

So where's your mind right now?

Is it with your breathing?

Or is it somewhere else?

If it's in the future or the past,

If it's worrying,

If it's planning,

Then just notice that.

And with a sense of kindness and compassion bring it back to your breathing.

Now take your awareness from the transition point and take it back to the cycle of your breathing again.

Open up your awareness to everything that you can feel or hear or experience about your breathing.

There's lots you can notice.

You can notice how your rib cage moves in and out.

You can notice the clothes moving on your skin.

You can notice the relaxation of the out-breath.

You can notice the incoming energy of an in-breath.

You can notice the temperature between an in-breath and an out-breath.

You can notice the sounds that the air makes.

Just bring your awareness to everything that has to do with your breathing.

Just bring your awareness to everything that has something to do with your breathing.

There's no right experience that you should be having.

There's no wrong experience that you should be having.

There's only this moment,

These sensations,

These thoughts,

These thoughts that are in your body.

Whatever is there at the moment,

Whatever sensations,

Whatever thoughts,

Whatever feelings,

Just allow them to be there.

And keep your awareness and your breathing as light as a leaf floating on the water.

And keep your awareness and your breathing as light as a leaf floating on the water.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is it inside your mind right now?

Is it inside your body?

Is it with your breathing?

Or is it somewhere else?

And if it's somewhere else,

Then with a sense of kindness and compassion,

Just return to your breathing.

I want you to try to widen your attention even further.

Just become aware of the sounds that you can hear in your environment.

But also keep your awareness on your breathing at the same time.

So now we're aware of everything that we can feel or hear with our breathing.

We're also aware of all the sounds that we can hear in our environment.

We're also aware of all the sounds that we can hear in our environment.

And don't allow your mind to go out and grab those sounds.

Just allow those sounds to come to you.

That those sounds are all in your field of awareness.

Now just become aware of the sensations in your body.

Become aware of the pressure of your presence on this seat.

Become aware of your clothes touching your skin.

Become aware of your presence in the space that you currently occupy.

Become aware of the light behind your eyelids.

Become aware of the air touching your skin.

You can take one deep breath in through your nose.

A nice long out breath through your mouth.

Whenever you're ready,

Open your eyes and come back to the room.

Thank you.

Reviews

That was a fantastic recording. The silence and the gentleness were a massage for my spirit. Thank you

Excellent!! Very calming and peaceful

Interesting

Reminders are really great for bringing your awareness back to the breath. Really helps. Thank you 🙏🏼

Amazingly restorative. It gave me a new light to see my day. Thank you x

This meditation really works for me; simply focusing on the breath. It is quiet, straightforward, always bringing ourselves back to the breath. I love “where is your mind right now”, without judgement but gently bringing me back to the breath and being in the moment.

The reminders to check where my thoughts were at were helpful without leaving me feeling guilty. A good, straightforward breathing meditation that I will use again.

Very helpful instructions.

Very focused meditation thanks you!

Very helpful. Thank you!!!

Certainly among the best I’ve ever heard, top 1%. Thank you.

Straight forward basic breathing meditation. Well presented and not intrusive.

Nice meditation! Enjoyed the breathing sequences and the reminders to come back to the breath. Namaste🙏🏼

That was very relaxing, thank you

Oh my. This is really good.

Very peaceful! Thank you

Thank you - very peaceful

Very good guided meditation. Calm, very focused on the breath.

Lovely and very helpful. Thank you.

Wonderful meditation for mindfulness and relaxation. The occasional, "Where's your mind right now?" reminders are very helpful.