This will be an awareness of breath practice.
Here we are looking to deepen our capacity for focused attention and concentration on a single object.
Additionally,
We're beginning to establish the breath as an anchor to the present moment for a distracted mind and a safe refuge for an upset mind.
Finding a comfortable seat and closing your eyes or lowering your gaze,
Taking a deeper than normal in-breath with an audible exhale to mark the transition into formal practice and allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Remembering what brings you here to practice,
Your intention for being here in stillness today.
Committing for the next 12 minutes or so to bringing a good-natured awareness to the present moment and using your breath as an anchor.
Stretching up with the in-breath and settling in on the out-breath.
As you settle into stillness,
Noticing the experience you're having.
What is it like to be you right now?
Present with whatever is here moment to moment with a kind curiosity.
Shifting attention to the body and what it feels like to be sitting.
Noticing the pressure of the seat,
Feet on the floor,
Hands resting in your lap or on your knees.
Scanning the body and allowing it to be how it is.
No need to fix anything.
Now collecting all of your attention and placing it on the direct experience of the body breathing.
Feeling each breath as it enters and leaves.
No need to control the pace or depth of the breath.
Simply being aware of the raw sensations of breathing.
Observing the breath at the tip of the nose.
Noticing the temperature of the air as it enters and any changes as it leaves.
Now shifting attention to the chest.
Noticing the expansion and contraction of the ribs.
Moving attention to the belly now.
Feeling the abdomen as it gently rises on the in-breath and falls on the out-breath.
Finally resting your attention wherever you feel the breath most easily in the body and staying here.
No need to make this practice any more challenging than it already is.
You Covering the breath with your attention.
You If you find your mind has wandered,
Which will almost certainly happen,
Noticing this opportunity to practice returning your attention to the breath with a small smile and beginning again with the next breath.
You you Where are you now?
Simply noticing if the mind has wandered and recommitting to fully experiencing the next breath and the next.
You you you you Now taking a moment to acknowledge yourself for having spent this time cultivating greater ease,
Focus,
And concentration.
You Taking one deeper than normal in-breath with an audible exhale,
Opening your eyes,
Raising your gaze,
And orienting to the room around you.
Nice work.
See you back here tomorrow.
