This practice is a practice where we're going to explore the sensations of the breath in different parts of the body.
I invite you to come to a position where you feel comfortable and supported.
This could be a lying down practice,
A seated practice,
Or even standing.
Whatever would feel best for you and your body for this time.
Once you've arrived in a position where you feel comfortable and supported,
I invite you to either close your eyes,
Have a soft gaze,
Or you're welcome to have the eyes open.
When you're ready,
We'll start the practice by choosing an affirmation or an intention.
An affirmation should be stated in a positive way,
In the present tense,
As if it has already come true.
An example of an affirmation or an intention,
If you're seeking more peace in your life,
Might be,
I am peaceful.
So I invite you to scan your thoughts,
Notice what affirmation or intention is bubbling up for you.
If nothing comes to mind,
You may want to use,
I control my inner peace.
Once you've found your intention or affirmation,
Just quietly state it to yourself three times.
The first step in a meditation practice is to consciously activate the relaxation response.
The exhale is a gateway to the relaxation response.
We control our inner peace by controlling the breath.
So for the next few breaths,
I invite you to inhale through the nose,
Exhale through pursed lips,
As if you're trying to flicker the light of a candle on the exhale.
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through pursed lips.
Now seeing if you can make the exhalation a little bit longer than your inhalation.
Inhaling through the nose,
Exhaling through pursed lips.
I invite you to bring your attention to the sensations of the breath at the nostrils.
As you breathe in through the nostrils,
Notice the cool sensation of the breath as you inhale.
As you exhale either through pursed lips or through the nostrils,
Noticing the warm sensation of the breath as you exhale.
Inhaling through the nose,
Being aware of the cool sensation on the in-breath.
And then as you exhale,
Noticing the warm sensation on the exhale.
For the next few breaths,
I invite you to bring your attention down towards the bottom of your ribs.
As you inhale through the nose,
Exaggerating the in-breath and filling the bottom of the ribcage with the breath.
As you exhale,
Either through the nose or through pursed lips,
Just noticing the sensation along the ribs as you exhale the breath.
Inhaling,
Noticing expansion around the ribcage.
And then as you exhale,
Noticing if there's a softening,
A settling.
As you inhale,
Exaggerating that breath,
Noticing that expansion around the ribcage.
And then as you exhale,
Maybe noticing how the ribs are drawing back in,
Softening and a settling.
Just exploring the sensations of the breath around the ribcage.
For the next few breaths,
I invite you to bring your attention down towards the lower abdomen.
If it feels right,
You could even gently take your hand and tap the lower abdomen to bring the awareness of sensation to the lower belly.
As you're breathing in,
Soften the lower belly,
Allow the lower belly to fill up with the breath on the inhale.
As you exhale,
You may notice the belly drawing in as the breath leaves the body.
Inhale,
Softening the belly,
Allowing the breath to be full and deep.
Exhaling,
Feeling the sensations of the breath as it leaves the body,
The lower belly drawing in.
Inhaling,
Feeling the breath and the sensations of the breath in the lower belly.
And then as you exhale,
Noticing how shifts and change the sensations that occur on the exhale.
Now just returning back to the natural,
Normal rhythm of your body breathing.
Taking a few natural breaths.
If your eyes have been closed,
Just start to gently open the eyes.
Restating your intention as we close the practice to carry you through the remainder of your day.
If it feels right for you,
It might feel nourishing to stretch the body.
Bring some gentle movements into the body,
Circling the wrists,
Releasing any tension around the jaw,
Circling the ankles,
Just bringing more awareness to the sensations of some movement as we move out of this practice.
And then taking a moment to check in and noticing how you feel after taking a few moments in this noticing the sensation of the breath practice.
