Hello everyone,
This is Jonathan.
This session is aimed at creating some inner calm and peace by focusing our attention on our breath to the exclusion of all other distractions within our field of awareness.
Let's get started.
First,
Find a comfortable sitting position on a mat or in a chair.
Try not to lean back on anything.
Keep your spine straight and rest your hands on your knees or thighs or in your lap and take a few deep breaths in through the nose into the belly.
Gently close your eyes and for a moment just sit and know that you are sitting.
Feel the weight of the body,
The pressure below you.
Sit and know that you are sitting.
Now bring your attention to your feet.
Feel having feet.
Feel the shape and location of your feet and relax your feet.
Move your focus to your shins and relax the shins.
Relax the thighs and the hips.
Relax your belly,
Your lower back,
Your upper back and your chest.
Relax the shoulders,
The upper arms,
The lower arms,
The wrists,
The muscles of the hands and the fingers.
Relax your neck.
Relax the muscles of your face,
Your jaw,
Your cheeks,
Your tongue,
Your lips,
Your forehead and your eyebrows.
And for a few moments just experience the stillness of a relaxed but steady body.
And as you sit in this relaxed state become aware that the body is breathing.
Feel the sensations of the rising and the falling of the belly and keep your mind focused on your breath,
On the rising of the belly,
The falling of the belly and the spaces between the breaths.
When you become distracted by physical sensations in or on the body simply acknowledge their existence without judgment and with acceptance.
Do not cling to them.
Do not push them away.
Just acknowledge them and bring your focus back to the breath.
If you become distracted by sounds inside or outside the room,
Become aware that you've become distracted.
Just allow those sounds to exist without judgment or reaction.
Acknowledge that you've become distracted and bring your focus back to the breath.
The rising of the belly,
The falling of the belly and the spaces between the breaths.
When you become distracted by thoughts in the mind or you find yourself lost in thought,
Become aware that the mind is thinking.
Quietly observe these thoughts with acceptance,
Without judgment or reaction and gently bring your attention and your focus back to the breath.
To the rising of the belly and the falling of the belly and the spaces between the breaths.
If you become distracted by visions behind your eyes,
Become aware of their existence without judgment or reaction and gently bring your focus back to the breath.
Become aware of any emotional states that you're experiencing.
Maybe confusion or frustration or joy.
Whatever these emotions are,
Just allow them to be.
Don't cling to them.
Don't push them away or try to change them.
Just quietly observe their existence and bring your focus back to the breath.
To the rising of the belly,
To the falling of the belly and the spaces between the breaths.
And continue in this way with all phenomena rising into your field of awareness.
Observe,
Accept and return to the breath for physical sensations,
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Sights,
Smells,
Tastes and sounds.
Recognize when you become distracted without judgment or reaction and bring your focus back to the breath.
And continue in this way for five minutes of silent practice.
And now,
To end this session,
Bring your focus once more back to the breath.
Feel the belly rising and falling.
Move your focus to your body.
Sit and know that you are sitting.
Feel the pressure below you on the seat or the mat.
Take a few deep breaths and when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
I hope that this has brought you a little bit of calm and peace that you can carry out into your day.
Thank you.
