Hi,
I am Jan Moller and welcome to this mindfulness exercise called the conscious breath.
Sit or lay down in a comfortable position without crossing your arms or legs.
If you sit,
Keep your back straight without becoming tense.
Remember to lose tightening clothes,
Especially in the stomach region,
And you might want to use a blanket to avoid getting cold.
In this exercise,
You do not have to achieve any particular goal.
You are not supposed to breathe in a special way,
Or try to relax,
Or try not to think,
Or try to get rid of any pain or uncomfortable sensation.
You should have no expectations about getting any special result.
This means that it is impossible to make any mistakes in this exercise.
This might sound strange,
Because of course it would be nice if you somehow would feel better during or after the exercise.
But if this does not happen,
You should know that it does not mean that you have done something wrong or that the exercise is not working.
The only thing you need to do is to follow the instructions in a relaxed way,
Without concentration,
Without any effort.
The challenge for you is to be able to observe and accept what happens at any time during the exercise,
Without having any opinion about if it should be different.
What will help you achieve this,
Is to assume an open,
Curious and accepting attitude to this training.
Begin the exercise by taking a deep breath,
And as you exhale,
You can close your eyes.
Now inhale deeply through the nose and hold your breath for a few seconds,
And exhale slowly through your mouth.
Repeat this one more time.
Inhale through the nose,
Hold and exhale.
And one last time,
Inhale,
Hold and slowly exhale.
Notice if your body's position is comfortable.
If not,
You can move your body now,
Or any moment you want during the entire exercise.
Slowly move your attention to the soles of your feet now.
Just be aware that they are there,
And feel the palms of your hands for a moment.
Observe your body,
How it is sitting or laying down,
Without any effort,
Without concentration,
Without doing anything special,
Without having a defined goal.
Just observing your body as a neutral witness.
Become aware of the breathing now.
You can feel the movement of your chest and abdomen.
You can feel how the air moves in and out of your body all by itself.
If for some reason it is uncomfortable for you to breathe through the nose,
You can continue to breathe through the mouth.
If not,
Then try to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth,
But in a relaxed way.
And it doesn't matter if you forget sometimes.
Continue to observe your breathing a little longer.
And notice that between the out-breath and the in-breath there is a little pause.
In-breath,
Out-breath,
Pause.
In-breath,
Out-breath,
Pause.
If you want to,
And if you find it helpful,
You can repeat these three words inside you in rhythm with your breathing.
In-breath,
Out-breath,
Pause.
Let your breathing move naturally without changing it.
You are just a neutral witness observing.
In-breath,
Out-breath,
Pause.
For the next five minutes,
Continue to breathe this way.
Every time you become aware that you start thinking about something,
Just gently turn your attention back to the breathing.
With certain intervals,
You will hear the sound of the gong to remind you to turn your attention back to the breathing.
In-breath,
Out-breath,
Pause.
You can start the five-minute practice now.
In-breath,
Out-breath,
Pause.
In-breath,
Out-breath,
Pause.
You are just a neutral witness.
You are just a neutral witness.
You are just a neutral witness.
You are just a neutral witness.
You are just a neutral witness.
You are just a neutral witness.
You are just a neutral witness.
You are just a neutral witness.
Very good.
Just slowly come back to your body now,
Feeling how it is sitting or laying down,
Feeling the soles of your feet and palms of your hands.
You can end the exercise now by taking a deep breath,
And as you exhale,
Slowly open your eyes,
And be grateful to yourself for having spent some minutes caring for your health and wellbeing.
