Simple Breath Awareness

This guided meditation is a foundational mindfulness of breathing practice, using counting to steady an unsettled mind. You begin by establishing a still and alert posture, attentive to the pelvis on the cushion, the spine and neck straight, the chin gently drawn in, the tongue resting on the palate, and the shoulders relaxed. You then count your breaths from one to four, on both the inhalation and the exhalation, returning to one each time you reach four or lose the count. Alongside the counting, you follow the rising and falling of the belly or chest, feeling the beginning, middle, and end of each movement, letting those sensations anchor the mind in the present. As the practice deepens, awareness widens to the whole movement of the breath through the body. Body and mind become one, rising and falling together. Approach it with curiosity and enjoy discovering the subtle feelings within the breath.

Transcript

Sit with closed eyes. Spine and neck straight. And keep your body as still as possible. Pay attention to the position of your pelvis on the cushion. Keep your spine and neck straight. Pull in your chin. Close your mouth. Touch your tongue on the palate. And relax your shoulders. Center yourself in the moment. Now bring your attention to your breathing. And start counting your breaths from 1 to 4. Both in the inhalation and exhalation. And when you arrive at 4. . . Restart from 1. If you get lost in the counting. Always restart from one as well. You will do this for the whole duration of this practice. As you're counting your breaths. Also pay continuous attention to the rising and falling of your belly. Are your chance. As you breathe in and out. Let the sensations of rising and falling anchor your mind in the present moment. Feel the beginning. The middle. And the end of each movement. Rising and falling. Learn to enjoy this process. Be curious about the subtle feelings that you can discover while breathing. And about how it feels to still your mind. You are simply staying with your breath. Being aware of the rising and falling. Caused by the breath. And accounting. Pay attention only to the whole movement that the breath takes in your body. This includes the rising and falling of the bell in your chest. As you have been practicing. But also touches many other areas. Be aware of all of it with your attention. Let your breath be deep. Slow. And I'm Harriet. Let the body and mind be one. When your belly or chest rise with the breath. Let your mind rise with it. And count. When your belly and chest fall. Let your mind fall with it. And then count.