Welcome to the affectionate breathing meditation.
It's the first core meditation of the Mindful Self-Compassion program.
And so let's begin by finding a posture that feels comfortable,
Relaxed,
Yet awake.
You can do this meditation sitting in a chair or on a cushion.
You can even do this meditation lying down.
And so just finding some comfort and ease.
And it might feel right to begin by taking some deeper than normal breaths.
And so just taking some slow,
Easy breaths as a way to release any unnecessary tension in the body.
And if you like,
Offering yourself soothing or supportive touch as a reminder that we're not only bringing awareness,
But this kind and affectionate awareness to our experience and to ourselves.
Knowing that you can leave your hand there or let it rest anytime.
And in this meditation,
We'll be feeling the breath in our bodies.
However,
Focusing on the breath can be uncomfortable for some people.
And so if this is true for you,
That's perfectly fine.
And so what you can do in this case is simply return your attention to the sensations of soothing or supportive touch rather than focusing on your breath.
Or you can feel the entire body swaying gently back and forth as you breathe.
And so now,
As you begin to settle into the posture,
Just beginning to feel the simple sensations of the body sitting or lying down.
Perhaps feeling the weight of the body,
The length and the width.
Noticing where the body is making contact with the surface that you're sitting or lying down on.
The back,
The buttocks,
Perhaps the feet against the floor,
The hands touching.
You might also notice sensations within the body.
Tingling,
Tightness,
Vibration.
Maybe there's a sense of temperature or ease.
And within this flow of sensation,
It's quite likely that you will come into contact with the sensations of breathing.
And so now gently connecting with that simple knowing that you're breathing in and knowing that you're breathing out.
Feeling the body,
Breathe in and feeling the body breathe out.
You might notice where you feel the breathing most vividly.
Maybe it's in that gentle rise and fall of the belly.
With each in and out breath.
Or maybe you feel it most easily in the chest,
Heart area.
Sensing the expansion and contraction of the rib cage.
Or you might notice it most easily at the tip of the nose.
Perhaps even feeling the subtle cool air as you inhale.
And the slightly warmer air as you exhale.
Taking a moment now to notice and feel how the body is nourished on the in breath.
And can relax and release.
Receiving and being nourished on the in breath.
And relaxing on the out breath.
Just letting your body breathe you.
There's nothing you need to do.
And now noticing the rhythm of your breathing.
This rhythm of flowing in and out.
So just taking some time here to feel that rhythm of your breathing.
Perhaps inclining your attention toward your breathing as you might towards a dear child or friend.
And feeling your whole body subtly moving with the breath like the movement of a sea.
And your mind will naturally wander like a curious child or a puppy.
So when this happens just gently returning to the rhythm of breathing.
Feeling the breath.
If you notice that there's a sense of watching your breath see if you can let go of that and be with the breath feeling it directly.
Feeling the breath and allowing your whole body to be gently rocked and internally caressed by your breathing.
Staying with these wave like movements of breath and if you like even giving yourself over to your breathing just breathing being breathing.
And now just gently releasing your attention to your breathing and sitting or lying quietly in your own experience.
Allowing yourself to feel whatever you're feeling and to be just as you are.
And when you're ready you can slowly open your eyes.
