Breath Awareness Daily Guided Meditation Please come into a comfortable seated position on a chair or on the floor.
Sit up nice and tall,
But remain relaxed.
Our breath goes with us everywhere,
Which is why Breath Awareness Meditation is one of the most commonly practiced technique.
Most of the time we are unaware of our habitual breathing patterns,
But by drawing the awareness to the breath we can begin both concentrating the mind and focusing the mind.
But we can also relax and passively observe and be present with the breath as well.
Let's begin with concentration.
First,
Observe your natural breathing rhythm.
Next,
Count the rhythm of your inhalations and exhalations.
Now try to extend the exhale by one or two counts,
Making it a little longer than the inhalation without straining.
Continue at your own pace.
Now see if you can deepen the inhalation.
Increasing the count by one to two seconds and maintaining an extended exhalation longer than the inhalation.
Keep the mind focused on the breath and continue to count at your own pace.
Make a mental note.
What is the count that keeps you the most comfortable and the most peaceful in the mind?
Continue this count in silence for a few more moments.
Next,
We'll focus on observation of the breath.
Begin by allowing the mind to wander around within the context of the breath.
And as you allow the mind to wander,
Observe the mind's activity as you observe the breath as well.
Draw the attention to your nostrils and observe the sensations of the breath moving in and out through the nostrils.
The more relaxed the insides of the nostrils,
The more relaxed the breath.
Observe the temperature change between the inhalation and the exhalation.
See if you can observe the sound of the breath through the nostrils.
Next,
Bring the awareness to the throat and observe the breath as it travels through the throat.
Take note of any temperature changes or any sounds or sensations in the throat region.
Next,
Shift the awareness to the breath as it travels through the lungs.
Observe the sensation of the breath in the lungs.
See if you can observe any sounds or temperature change.
Next,
Bring your awareness to any part or any aspect of the breath that you choose.
And observe the breath in silence.
Very gently,
Bring the awareness back to your breath and draw your awareness to your surroundings.
Softly open the eyes.
This concludes our meditation practice today.
Thank you.
