Hello and welcome.
This is a meditative practice to enhance your connection with the breath in your body.
So from a comfortable position,
Take the palms of your hands and place them face down on your belly.
And notice what it is that you feel.
You might notice the feeling of your skin or your clothing.
And how about the temperature of the fingers on the belly?
And what's it like to detect some movement?
What do you notice?
I can sense a rise and a release.
My palms of the hands are aware of this undulating expansion and softening.
This is my breath as it exists within my body.
And as the breath pulses in and out,
You might follow its rhythm with the palms of your hands.
And you might also choose to trace the path of the breath with your mind's eye.
So if this interests you,
See what it's like to notice the breath entering the body through the nostrils,
Spin of air as it comes in through the nose and begins to swirl through the back of the throat,
Drag down through the chest,
And eventually press onto the palms in the belly.
And then the air ascends back up through the channels and releases either through the nostrils or the mouth.
This pathway of the breath is endlessly interesting.
And your inner attention can trace the inhale and the exhale,
Cycles of breath nourishing the body and releasing.
So together,
Let's spend a few moments in stillness and silence sensing our breath.
Trace the breath on its path.
Pathway into the body and its exit from the body.
You might be interested in playing around with the speed of the breath.
So what is it like when you move the air more swiftly through the body or more slowly through the body?
Your decisions to modulate the speed of the breath will give you opportunities to be curious about the living nature of your breath as it passes through your being.
What is it that you can explore?
And now if it appeals to you,
Adjust the depth of your breath,
Noticing what it feels like to breathe deeply as if you're sending the air down into your legs and feet,
Or perhaps more shallowly as if you're only taking a sip of air at a time.
What effect does this have as you trace the pathway of the breath?
As you get familiar with the trail that the breath follows,
What can you stay curious about?
What is there that's subtle and shifting?
Or perhaps what is new to discover?
The breath and the body is alive.
What is there to be aware of?
To notice.
What is there to be aware of?
The breath is a celebration of our aliveness,
Of our presence,
Of our innate radiance.
It is an intersection of body and of mind,
Of energy.
And so every time you trace the breath or you return to tracing the breath after knowing your mind has gone elsewhere or sensing something in your body,
The return to the breath is a celebration.
And in the last few moments of this practice together,
See what it's like to adopt the mind space of imagining that you're noticing your breath for the very first time.
What would intrigue you?
What would awe you?
What would awe you?
Without hurry and as gently as you have done anything all day,
Begin to release your intent and purposeful focus from the breath.
And you can trust that without your attention,
The breath is still supporting you,
Still holding your aliveness,
The miracle that is your being.
Notice how your whole body feels,
Your sense of self and presence right now.
And gradually,
Gently move back into the activities of your everyday life.
Thank you for spending some time exploring the breath together.
Thank you.
