This is a 10 minute breath awareness practice.
Just let yourself be here in the space that you're in.
Settling onto your seat,
Allow yourself,
Over the next few breaths,
To become a little bit more relaxed,
A little easier in your body.
We begin by noticing the out-breath.
And trying not to force the mind onto this point,
Or get caught in concentrating hard.
But just allowing yourself to relax and to notice.
Allowing yourself to be here and not space out.
And just noticing the out-breath.
And just letting yourself be here.
And just noticing the quality of your thoughts.
Noticing how your mind is.
And rather than trying to stop your thoughts,
Make the mind work in a different way,
Or judge our thoughts.
Just notice that you notice your thoughts.
And notice how you notice the space in the breath coming in,
Going out,
And allowing yourself to continue settling.
We notice the in-breath at the same place,
Letting go of the out-breath and shifting to the in-breath.
We notice the space before the in-breath,
The breath coming in,
The movement of breath in the body,
The feeling of yourself sitting on your cushion or your chair.
And just noticing how your emotions are today.
In this moment.
Not how they were five minutes ago or yesterday,
Or how you hope they might be in the next moment.
Or how you hope they might be later on.
Just notice your emotion in this moment.
Bringing awareness to your emotions.
Not trying to change them in any way,
But just noticing that you notice your emotions.
And now,
Just dropping the idea of in-breath or out-breath,
And just feeling the breath moving your body at your abdomen.
Notice the breath moving your body.
You're aware of your thoughts moving,
Aware of your emotions,
Aware of your body,
Aware of your breath coming and going.
Not forcing the breath in any way,
Not trying to control the breath,
Not trying to control thoughts or feelings.
Just being.
Deepening into the sense of the awareness of yourself.
And perhaps there are some sounds from inside the room or outside the room.
Notice that you notice the sounds.
And notice how the mind perhaps wants to get caught on the sounds.
Naming them,
Labeling them,
Judging them,
Creating a story perhaps.
And just letting go of that judgmental or critical mind.
Just notice the sounds and let them be there.
We can also do this with our thoughts and our feelings.
And we can hear the space between the sounds.
Feel the space between the breaths.
Notice the spaces between the thoughts,
Between the emotions.
Just deepening into the open quality of being.
Not trying to meditate or chase an experience,
But being present in this moment.
Fully alive.
Fully yourself.
Enjoying the spacious quality of consciousness in your being.
And if difficult thoughts arise,
Fear or a pain,
If there's an ache in the body or something that startles you in the sounds.
Not judging or shaming yourself.
Not trying to get back to anything.
Just come back as soon as you can to the movement of breath at the abdomen.
Don't wish that anything were different.
Be loving,
Be kind with yourself.
Just come back to the breath with kindness and compassion.
Allow your brightness,
Your light,
To begin illuminating you from the inside,
Between the breaths,
Before the thoughts,
Before the emotions.
