Begin by finding yourself in a seated,
Comfortable,
Bright posture.
Take a moment and adjust your posture if needed to help your body feel a little more relaxed.
Close the eyes of the body if that's comfortable for you or you can have a downward gaze.
Notice your feet connected to the floor and feel your body sitting here in this moment.
Become aware of the natural rhythm of your breath,
The inhale and exhale.
Notice where you feel your breath most predominantly,
Maybe the nose,
The chest,
Or the belly.
Or maybe you have a sense of the whole body breathing,
Expanding and relaxing.
Wherever you feel the breath most predominantly,
Rest your attention here lightly.
As you sit here and observe the breath,
See if you can rest your attention on the breath from the beginning of the breath through the middle to the end of the breath.
As you rest your attention here,
You might notice the various sensations such as warmth,
Coolness,
Tingling,
Vibration,
Stretching,
Releasing.
Don't feel like you have to name each sensation but just simply feel them.
If you're finding it challenging to connect with the breath,
You can experiment by gently putting your hand on the belly and just feel the movement of the belly with the inflow and the outflow of the breath.
Or you can bring your attention to where you feel the sensation most predominantly.
If you are noticing that you are directing or controlling the breath in some way,
You might try listening to the breath,
Listening to the inflow and the outflow,
Listening to and feeling the breath moment to moment.
As you rest your attention,
You might notice the various sensations such as warmth,
Coolness,
Feeling,
And feeling.
When something arises such as an emotion,
A thought,
Something strong enough to take your attention away from the feeling of the breath,
Just know that this is a part of the practice.
Experiencing the life that's right here.
In the moment that you notice your attention has been elsewhere,
You are already back in the present moment.
Gently guide your attention back to the breath.
You can begin again at any moment,
A thousand times if necessary.
Gently guiding your attention back to the inhale and the exhale.
Gently guiding your attention back to the inhale and the exhale.
Become a witness of the body breathing.
Allow the body to breathe itself.
Sometimes we have an inclination to want to get involved in some way,
But see if it's possible to simply notice the inclination and then bring your attention back to the present moment,
Back to the direct experience of your body breathing.
Now we go back to the breath.
If a strong wave of experience arises,
Maybe a strong sensation in the body,
Either pleasant or unpleasant,
A feeling or emotion,
Maybe anxiety,
Excitement,
Sadness,
Anger.
If something strong arises,
Allow the breath to fade into the background and open attention to include the wave of experience.
Allow the wave to move through you and if it helps,
Allow the breath to flow with it.
When this wave of experience no longer calls your attention,
Find yourself gently guiding your attention back to the breath.
At any point,
You can relax back again and again into the gentle movement of the breath.
Bonks.
For whatever reason you find that the breath is challenging for you to rest your attention on,
Maybe gently shift your attention to a sensation in the body.
Perhaps the feeling of tingling in the hands or feet,
Or maybe the feeling of the whole body simply sitting here,
Just noticing what's right here in this present moment.
Your breath and your body are always here in the present moment.
Your breath and your body are always here in the hands or feet.
Your breath and your body are always here in the hands or feet.
At some point,
You'll notice the attention has drifted into the past or the future.
Not a problem,
It's just a natural way of the mind.
As soon as you notice this has happened,
It's a natural waking up.
Value the moment of noticing and then feel this very next inflow and outflow,
The rising breath and the falling breath.
Now let's speak or do this.
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You might notice that the breath can be a kind of home base for living in the present moment.
A place to rest your attention.
It can be a way to help focus the mind after we've been off in a thinking loop.
Rest your attention on the breath.
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Each time you notice the drifting mind and gently relaxing back,
You're deepening your capacity for homecoming.
Again,
Sensing the movement of the breath.
So that you're listening to and feeling this breath.
Listening to and feeling it in an intimate way.
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The breath is in the foreground of your attention and also your senses are awake.
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To the sounds that are here,
To the sensations in the body,
To whatever emotions are present here in this moment.
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As you sit here,
Breathing with the life that's here.
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Relaxing with the life that's here.
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