Hello,
And welcome to the daily insight.
My name is Hillary Jackendoff,
And today we'll be practicing a 10-minute meditation to help you connect to your breath as your teacher.
In many spiritual traditions,
The breath is the very foundation of a meditation practice,
And through the breath we calm our bodies,
We quiet our minds.
With each breath,
We're granted the opportunity to begin again,
In a new moment,
Present,
Awake,
And aware in our lives.
Begin by finding a comfortable position,
Ideally sitting upright in a chair or on the floor.
Let your hands rest comfortably on your knees or in your lap,
And notice if your palms want to face up or down.
Soften the muscles in your face,
Releasing the tongue inside the mouth,
Bringing ease to the jaw.
Invite your shoulders to release down away from your ears,
Away from the sides of your neck,
And tuck your chin ever so slightly,
Creating space in the back of the neck.
As you refine your position,
Feel into a sense of natural alignment in the spine.
As you continue to settle in,
Notice if you feel ready to turn inwards for your practice,
Giving yourself just a moment more if need be to fully arrive in the present moment for meditation.
And now,
Take a full,
Deep breath in through your nose,
Holding the breath inside for a few seconds,
And then gently open your mouth and allow your exhale to escape on its own,
Slowly,
Smoothly.
And continue to breathe like this,
Conscious,
Focused inhalation,
Spontaneous,
Effortless exhalation.
With each breath in,
Feel into the experience of doing,
Focused effort,
And with each breath out,
Feel into the experience of pure being,
Effortlessness.
What wisdom is here for you in this relationship between doing and being?
What is your breath showing you?
As you draw breath in through your nose with presence,
Feel that you are deeply receiving,
Intentionally drawing in that which you need.
And as your breath gently,
Effortlessly leaves your body,
Feel into the experience of easily releasing all that does not serve you.
Now,
Let go of this and allow your body to breathe all on its own,
No effort,
No control.
As the breath flows in and out on its own,
Sense the intimacy of the relationship between breath and body.
Rest in the knowing that breath lives in your body,
Your breath at home here,
Noticing how it comes and goes whenever it wishes.
Even to notice where you feel your breath in your body,
Sensing perhaps a gentle movement in the abdomen,
Perhaps in the chest.
Or maybe the breath is almost imperceptible,
Barely felt as it lightly glides in and out through the nostrils.
Can you surrender fully to the breath,
Watching,
Feeling its natural rhythm?
Or is there a desire to control it,
To manipulate,
To shape?
Notice whatever is arising and inquire what wisdom is here for you.
What can the breath teach you about your patterns,
Your life?
Become more intimate with the breath moving towards it,
Observing the difference between one breath and the next.
Rest as no two moments are the same,
No two breaths are the same either.
Slowly and gently shift from a natural breath back to a conscious breath,
Expanding your inhale and extending your exhale,
Hearing the sound of your deepening breath and feeling how deepening your breath guides you back to your body.
Feel fully into the sensations in your body,
Draw your attention to the room around you,
And begin to notice how you feel after this breath-centered meditation.
What did your breath teach you today?
