Focusing on our breath during our meditation practice is meant to help to anchor us into our bodies.
When our mind has something to focus on,
It's going to be much less likely to get lost in the usual story lines of the mind.
This allows us to better process our feelings and emotions and experience our feelings within our bodies in a much more visceral way,
Which helps us to move through them.
Now,
I am more of a somatic learner,
So before I developed my own meditation practice to the point of where I could feel the movement of my breaths in a very visceral way and was able to anchor into those sensations during my practice.
I used to use prayer beads,
And I still turn to my prayer beads from time to time,
So whichever is most helpful for you,
I invite you to either focus on your breath or to have prayer beads on hand during this practice.
And I'd also invite you to have a pen and paper handy.
So we're going to begin by finding a comfortable meditation seat,
Either on a meditation cushion or on a chair.
And we're going to start to anchor into our bodies,
Starting by noticing the point of contact that we feel either with our cushion or our chair.
Feeling that sensation,
That grounding,
That anchoring in the bottom part of your body into the ground or the cushion or the chair.
And from that anchoring point,
Finding a nice straight back with relaxed shoulders,
Maybe tucking the chin slightly to find a comfortable seat.
And we're going to begin to come to our breaths,
Noticing the sensations moving in through the nose,
Filling the chest,
Following that breath and that oxygen as it fills your lungs and your chest expands,
Following it all the way through the exhale as your chest deflates and the air moves out your nose into the space in front of your face.
Following your movement of your breaths.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Finding your natural breath,
Not changing the length of your breath in any way,
Just allowing it to be exactly as it is.
Maybe noticing if it's your chest expanding or your belly expanding or a combination of both.
Perhaps taking note of whether your breaths are long and relaxed or tight or restricted in any way.
But again,
Just allowing your body to breathe in its own natural way.
Just noticing all the movements and sensations that go along with your breathing.
As you inhale and exhale,
Maybe you start to notice that your breath feels a bit like it's rocking you and your body and its micro movements on the inhale and exhale.
Almost a very subtle sway to your body as your breath cradles you.
Allowing your breath to sort of rock you back and forth at a very subtle level.
As if you're lying in the ocean and you can feel the waves moving your body ever so slightly,
Succumbing to the movement of those waves holding your body.
Allowing the wave of your breath to cradle you.
From this place of being held,
I'd like you to imagine that your partner or good friend is sitting next to you now.
Maybe they're just sitting quietly next to you and you can feel their presence and their compassion just listening to you.
Maybe they have their arm around you.
Maybe they have their hand on your shoulder.
Imagine they're sitting with you in a way that feels very comforting to you and you feel very held in their presence.
Now what do you need right now?
You know that your friend or your partner is available to you and listening to you and that they care about you deeply.
Asking yourself as if you were that compassionate friend or partner sitting with yourself,
What do I need right now?
Take a moment if you have that pen and paper handy to maybe write down a few words.
Whatever comes to mind.
If this feeling of feeling held in their presence is really all you need,
Then what are the words that are behind that embrace?
Maybe it's,
I love you.
I'm here with you.
I'm not going anywhere.
Maybe it's,
I see you.
I'm proud of you.
What do you really need to hear right now?
I'm here with you.
I'm here with you.
Once you're finished writing,
Just coming back to your seat,
Back to your breath.
Back to feeling inhale and exhale of your breath,
Holding you,
Rocking you.
I'd like you to place your arms or your hands,
Similar to what you imagined your partner or your friend did.
Maybe it's a hand on your arm.
Or maybe you give yourself a little hug.
Or maybe it's a hand on your heart.
Pausing for a moment,
Just holding yourself.
Feeling your breath.
With this compassionate touch.
Feeling the inhale and the exhale.
Maybe giving yourself a little squeeze or rubbing your arm or your chest a little bit.
I'd like you to tell yourself those same words that you wrote down,
What you really need right now.
In your own words,
Repeating it back to yourself.
I'm here with you,
Listening to you.
I see you.
I care about you.
Whatever else you wrote down.
Feeling your hand squeezing your arm,
Rubbing your chest.
Feeling the cradling and rocking of your breath.
Maybe it's you're not alone.
I hear you.
I see you.
What do you really need right now?
I'm here with you.
Maybe it's some words of encouragement.
You're doing the best you can.
I'm so proud of you.
I see all that you're doing.
Appreciate all your efforts.
I'm here with you.
Staying with your breath.
Breathing in and out.
I'm just sitting here as long as it feels good to you.
Giving yourself that compassion,
Loving kindness,
Presence and words.
As long as you need.
I'm here with you.
I'm here with you.
I'm here with you.
I'm here with you.
