Hello and welcome to meditation.
I invite you to sit comfortably.
If you can,
To have a spine that is erect,
That has integrity as a sense of how you're going to position your body.
And allowing the shoulders to relax.
If you want to close your eyes,
You can.
If you want to gaze down,
You can.
If you want to keep looking,
That's your choice.
It doesn't matter.
So as you bring this position,
Just feel how it is to take a position of integrity.
How does it feel in your body?
What integrity feels like?
And it's a way for us to be alert,
But at the same time relaxed.
And start by noticing the breath as it goes into your nostrils.
Feel the temperature of the air.
Feel how long is your inhale and your exhale.
And see if you can feel the air.
And see if you can bring with that attention,
Intentional attention to your breath on your nostrils,
The attitude of openness.
Being open to this practice.
Being open to learn something new.
Being open to your experience.
And if your mind brings something,
A thought,
That's okay.
That's normal.
You just notice and you bring the attention back to your breath on your nostrils.
Even if you have to do that second by second.
How long is your breath?
Or how short is your breath?
How do you feel the air?
Is it cold?
Is it warm?
And again,
Bringing in that curious attitude.
Almost as a kid,
A child,
A newborn that looks at everything in life with that awe,
With a curious mind.
And I invite you to move your attention with your breath as you inhale,
Going through the nostrils.
Notice where the breath flows.
Does it land on your chest?
Does it land on your belly?
Does it go to your sides,
To your back?
Where can you feel the breath?
And once again,
I invite you to be like a kid and see the breath as someone you're playing with and you playing hide and seek and you want to find the breath.
Where is the breath in your body right now?
And every time that your mind brings in thoughts,
Judgments,
Worries,
You can just notice,
Know that that's the nature of the mind.
And intentionally returning your attention to your breath.
Stretching that muscle,
Using that muscle of intentionally bringing attention.
With that kindness,
With that openness and curiosity.
Maybe you had a thought of,
I can't do this.
Or I knew I wouldn't be able.
Just notice that's just a thought that each time you notice,
You can just say thank you for your thought and return the attention to the breath.
With kindness,
With openness.
And celebrating that you were able to notice and return.
And that's mindfulness.
Where is your breath right now?
Where can you feel it in your body?
Maybe you feel more on your belly right now.
Notice if you can relax the belly to really invite the breath in.
A lot of the times we would tend to breathe really up high on your chest.
So see if you can just allow the breath to move to different parts of your body.
And if not,
That's okay.
Just notice where the breath is and how it feels.
Where you can feel it.
And offer yourself gratitude for trying out this practice.
For returning again and again.
And for choosing.
For choosing to learn something for well-being.
And if you had your eyes closed,
You can slowly open them up.
Take a deep breath.
Relax.
And thank you for practicing.
