This practice is a breath-focused practice which can help to settle the mind and bring relaxation to the body.
This practice can be done seated or lying down.
Once you come to a position where you feel comfortable and supported,
Feel where you're making contact with the surface beneath you.
Could be your feet on the floor,
The lower back in the chair,
Or your whole body supported by the surface beneath you.
Taking a moment here and starting with a cleansing breath.
And a cleansing breath is where we inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth,
As if you're trying to fog up a mirror.
I invite you to take two more cleansing breaths.
As we settle in,
Taking a moment to check in and notice any sensations in the body.
Could be pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral.
And noticing the activity of the mind and holding the whole experience with kindness and compassion.
That this is how it is in this moment.
For this practice the eyes can be opened,
Closed eyes,
Or soft gaze.
For the counting breath we can use the thumb touching the tip of each finger on one hand as a support for us.
So I invite you to take one hand and turn the palm up,
Resting the back of the palm on the thigh or the surface beside you.
And take the tip of the thumb and gently tap the tip of the index finger.
And then tap the tip of the middle finger,
Then the ring finger,
And then the baby finger.
So for the full length of the inhale,
Which will be to the count of four,
Just gently tap the tip of each finger.
Then as you exhale starting at the baby finger,
Just tap each finger until you come back to the index finger.
So keeping the jaw soft,
The shoulders relaxed,
The hand relaxed.
Inhaling to the count of four,
Tapping the tip of each finger,
And then exhaling for the count of four.
Inhaling one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Continue at your own rate,
Gently bringing your attention to the sensations of the tip of each finger.
Inhaling,
Count to four.
Exhaling,
Count to four.
Keep the jaw soft,
The shoulders relaxed.
Feeling the sensations of each tip of the finger as you gently breathe in to the count of four.
Exhaling to the count of four.
One more round here.
At the end of the exhale,
Allow the palm turned down towards the thigh or rest comfortably beside you,
Coming back to the rhythm of your own natural breath.
I invite you to bring the attention to the area around the nostrils.
As you breathe in through the nose,
You may experience a cool sensation of the breath at the tip of the nostrils.
As you exhale through the nose,
You may feel the warm sensation of the breath on the top of the lip,
Bringing your attention to the tip of the nose,
Feeling the sensations of the breath on the tip of the nose.
Breathing in,
Feeling coolness.
Breathing out,
Feeling warmth.
Breathing in,
Feeling warmth.
Just one more round here with the attention on the tip of the nose.
And then I invite you to just allow your awareness to rest.
No need to focus or change.
Just allowing the whole awareness to be as it is.
I invite you to return back to your touch points,
Bringing attention to the feet on the ground,
The lower back supported by the chair,
Or the whole body supported by the surface beneath you.
And take a moment to check in here and notice how you feel now.
Checking in with the body and checking in with the mind.
May this practice be a support for you as you move throughout the day.
Namaste.
