Come Back To The Breath

In his first Insight Timer talk, Joseph shows how simple mindful breathing can help you connect deeply to whatever meditation you are practicing. He also talks about how this simple instruction to 'Come back to the breath' can help you in everyday situations away from your practice, and describes a simple exercise you can do with the timer function on Insight Timer to build efficacy for all meditations.

Transcript

Greetings fellow traveller. Today's talk is all about the most natural act in the world, The essence of life itself, Breathing. As in life as a whole, Your breath is the vehicle that carries you through any meditation you take part in. Each breath is like a footstep on the landscape of your practice, Taking you deeper into whatever the teacher has mapped out for you in your session. You may have heard me say in one of my meditations that there is no wasted time in meditation. This is partly because any time being present and aware of your breath will aid in increasing your efficacy in your future meditations. To use a metaphor, If you were a rower, Any river you can dip your oar into gives you time out on the water. You are still rowing. Obviously, Finding what works for you is important and there are so many good meditations on Insight Timer that there really is something for everyone. So don't be afraid to experiment and don't be discouraged if things do not click straight away. Every time you show up counts, It will contribute to your journey and you will be closer to realising what you need. In my meditations, I often give the instruction to come back to the breath. This is like a metaphorical handrail for if the mind starts to wander or one gets caught up with anything that takes you away from being present. Thoughts or external stimulus will always try to intrude on a meditation. Even those who have many hours experience under their belt will find themselves following the impulse to engage with mental chatter. But returning to the breath is an act that puts a hand up to such distractions and reaffirms that you are separate from them. All it takes is a deep breath or two. It is like wiping the slate clean so you can bring your attention back to the present or the voice of the teacher. Coming back to the breath is a useful technique for outside of your meditation practice as well. When one starts to get caught up in unhelpful inner monologues or stressful events or runaway moods, Any situation like that, You can mentally hold a hand up to them by taking five long, Deep breaths, Focusing only on those breaths. The ground beneath you in whatever way you find yourself in contact with it. Bring your thoughts into that place whether it is your feet or your sit bones or anything else and notice how you are unhooking a little from the situation you are in by being grounded and by breathing. You can repeat that again if necessary, It doesn't have to just be five breaths. You could still feel a little rattled afterwards or like the atmosphere is turbulent within or without. But you are creating space. Breathing space. That can interrupt the momentum of a situation and allow something new to enter. Obviously, When you take a pause to do these breaths, You have to use your discernment. At your desk at work is great, Operating heavy machinery, Not so much. This whole concept of coming back to the breath can actually form the basis for a very simple meditation that you can do using the timer on Insight Timer. Simply set the clock for two minutes, Hit start, Take five big cleansing breaths. Close your eyes or soften your gaze and fall into your version of easy, Natural, Rhythmic breathing. And just let your attention settle on that. You may want to anchor your focus on the breath leaving your nose or your lips. And if your mind starts to wander or you get distracted, Then you know what to do. Just come back to the breath. Take a couple of big ones and repeat what you just did. Before you know it, Two minutes will be up and you will have completed a very simple practice of presence that you can take anywhere with you. If your phone runs out of battery. Try doing this every day. Once you can do two minutes in a row without getting distracted, Add about 15 to 60 seconds to the clock for a new goal. This will also help you with your focus for guided work with meditation, As well as giving you a simple way of building your efficacy with the practice of sitting and breathing. Respiration is a simple act, But it is a sacred one. It walks with you through your entire life like a loyal friend. So trust it. It will support you. So that's it. Thank you for listening to my first Insight Timer talk. I hope you have found it useful. Let me know how you get on in the comments. I would be happy to hear from you. Until next time, Many blessings and bye for now.