This meditation is one of the core meditations for the Mindful Self Compassion course created by Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer.
And we'll get started with the meditation by finding a comfortable position,
Something that allows you to feel supported for the length of the meditation,
And now making any additional adjustments you need to so that you are perfectly comfortable.
When you're settled and ready,
Just allowing your eyes to gently close,
Closing your eyes fully or partially,
Whatever feels right for you,
And then taking a couple of long slow deep breaths,
Just reminding yourself that you're here.
You set aside this time to do this,
Letting go of any busyness that transpired before,
Letting go of any busyness on your horizon,
And as much as you can,
Releasing any unnecessary tension in your body,
Allowing your breathing now to return to its regular rate and rhythm,
Just whatever feels natural and normal for you.
If you like,
Offering yourself some soothing or supportive touch,
Maybe placing a hand over the heart or some other part of the body.
And we do this as a reminder that we're not only bringing awareness,
But affectionate awareness to our breathing,
To our practice,
To ourselves.
And just know that you can leave your hand there as long as you like,
Or you can let it rest at any time,
Whatever feels comfortable and right for you.
Now,
As we move through this meditation,
We will be paying attention to the breath.
And sometimes,
Focusing on the breath can be uncomfortable for some people.
And so,
If that happens for you,
Then just know that you can always return to the soothing or supportive touch,
Or you can drop your attention down to the soles of your feet or to sounds in the room.
And then whenever you're ready to come back to the breath,
Just doing so at your own pace,
In your own time.
And now,
Beginning to notice the sensations of breathing in your body,
Just noticing what it feels like for this body to breathe.
Now,
We're not hunting down sensations,
We're not analyzing the breath,
We're not trying to figure it out.
We're just feeling the sensations that are present in this breath,
This body.
Perhaps noticing what it feels like at the tip of your nose,
The movement of the air at the tip of your nose,
The slightly cooler air on the inhale,
The slightly warmer air on the exhale,
Just feeling the breath at the tip of the nose.
Perhaps noticing the sensations of breathing as the air moves along the back of the throat,
Noticing how the chest rises with each inhalation,
How the chest falls with each exhalation,
Just feeling the movement of the chest with each breath,
Noticing the slight movement of the rib cage,
The expansion of the belly with the inhale,
The contraction with the exhale,
Just feeling your body breathing,
Nothing for you to do,
Nothing to change,
Nothing to alter or fix,
Simply allowing your body to do what it already knows how to do,
This thing called breathing,
The breathing in and the breathing out,
In and out,
Simply feeling your body breathe.
And whenever the mind wanders,
And we know that it will,
That's what the mind does,
Without making it a big deal or criticizing yourself,
Just notice that the mind has wandered and then gently return to paying attention to what it feels like to breathe.
It doesn't matter how many times the mind wanders,
Just keep coming back,
It's not a big deal.
And perhaps recognizing how your body is nourished with each in-breath,
Appreciating how the body takes in what it needs with each in-breath,
Recognizing and appreciating that each out-breath is a letting go,
How your body with each exhale,
How your body releases what no longer serves you,
All on its own,
Perhaps inclining toward your breath with curiosity,
Some interest,
Maybe kindness.
And with your attention on your breath,
You may begin to notice that there is this rhythm to your breathing.
So just taking a moment to feel this rhythm,
This subtle movement of the body with each breath,
Perhaps likening this rhythm to the ebb and flow of a gentle tide moving into the shore and away from the shore.
The breath moving in to your body,
The breath moving out,
This rhythmic gentle flow of the breath.
Just giving yourself over to this rhythm of breathing,
Being with breathing.
And if you begin to notice there's a sense of watching the breath,
Then seeing if you can let that go,
Seeing if you can just be with the experience of breathing,
Feeling it,
Really feeling it,
Allowing your body,
Your entire body to be held by this rhythm,
To be moved by this rhythm,
To be soothed by this rhythm,
This rhythm of your breathing,
Seeing if you can let everything else fall away,
Letting your breathing be all there is in this moment.
And now gently releasing your attention on the breath,
Sitting quietly in your own experience,
Spending a few moments being just as you are,
Allowing yourself to feel as you feel,
Allowing yourself to experience who you are in this moment.
And whenever you're ready,
Gently opening your eyes,
Maybe wiggling your fingers and toes,
Taking a couple of deeper breaths.
And we're all done.
So hope to see you again.
Thanks.
