Welcome to this breath-based meditation with Jonathan Faust.
In this practice you'll be cultivating concentration on the breath.
When the mind naturally wanders you'll be guiding or escorting your attention back to the experience of breathing.
I find this practice to be helpful in cultivating a sense of calm and cultivating a sense of presence.
You might begin by focusing on your posture.
Make any micro adjustments that will support you in being both relaxed and at the same time being present and awake.
You may find it helpful now to deepen and lengthen your breath.
And as you breathe full and deep and smooth,
How intimately can you feel the breath on the inside?
Where do you feel the breath the most predominant?
When you feel ready on the next exhalation,
Release all control of breath.
You'll be shifting now to observation of the breath.
You might select one of three options.
The first is to explore the breath of the belly and you'll find the more intimately you can relax your belly,
The more intimately be able to feel the breath here.
The subtle rising on the in-breath and the falling on the out-breath.
A second alternative is to bring your attention to the breath in the nostrils.
Here you might focus on the breath at the nostrils themselves or at the septum.
And again you might take a moment to feel the natural movement of the breath right here at this focal point.
A third option is to feel a general sense of the whole body breathing.
And is there a sense of which of these options you would like to use as your primary anchor,
Your primary point of concentration?
And as you settle on that,
Let all of your attention rest here.
The movement of the breath here at this focal point.
When the mind wanders,
Gently bring it back.
There's no condemnation of thinking in this practice.
Thinking is utterly natural.
When you notice the mind lost in thought,
Notice how gently you can escort your attention back to the movement of the breath right now.
When you wake up lost in a thought form or lost in the narrative,
Invite your attention back and you might inquire how intimately can I feel this breath?
How intimately can I feel this next breath?
Notice if it's possible to relax or soften just a little bit more,
The breath is effortless and free-flowing.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You may notice what it's like to be both relaxed and at the same time alert.
You may notice that as you have the breath as your anchor,
That there may be an expanded awareness of everything that is changing in the background.
And as you continue in your practice,
You might establish awareness in the breath.
Notice how intimately you can feel it and let your attention gently broaden and widen,
Sensing all that is moving and shifting and changing in your experience.
When you notice the mind lost in thought,
Draw your attention back again to the breath and broaden,
Widen your attention to the sense of all that is moving and shifting and changing in your experience.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
In these remaining two minutes,
You might inquire,
What could relax or soften right now?
How intimately can I feel the breath right now?
Deep relaxation.
At the same time,
Alert.
You might now gently deepen the breath.
And as you lengthen and deepen the breath,
Allow yourself to relax and soften on the breath out.
You might,
With your eyes closed,
Let your head drift a little to the left and right.
And as you sense to the whole body,
How would your body like to move in a way that feels most natural and most pleasurable?
Reflecting on what may have shifted in this experience and inquiring as you are informed by the sense of rest and presence,
How might you bring this forward in activity?
As you're ready,
You can gently let the eyes open.
