Breathing space with kindness,
An informal practice to cultivate mindfulness and kindness in everyday life.
So find yourself in a comfortable position and beginning to notice what you're experiencing right now.
Noticing your thoughts and feelings,
Physical sensations or sounds and kindly acknowledging and welcoming whatever arises,
Both pleasant and unpleasant.
Welcoming all experiences just as they present themselves and now invite your attention to rest on the breath and beginning to follow each and every in breath and out breath with gentle soft and relaxed attention and allow a calming and soothing breathing rhythm to emerge by gently slowing down and deepening the movements of the breath.
Allow the out breath to flow out all the way until the direction of flow changes by itself and then let the body fill in with breath again.
A soothing breathing rhythm may be supported by consciously sensing the ground that supports you and allowing your muscles and the face to soften and relax,
Your chest and heart to open like a flower towards the light,
Your belly to freely rise and fall.
You may wish to place both hands on the body.
When the breath has found its soothing rhythm you can just let it follow its own course.
When you realize your mind has been pulled away by thoughts just gently and kindly invite it to come back to the breath and acknowledge what is here right now again and again,
Gently guiding your attention back to the breath and feeling the soothing rhythm of your breathing and then just expand your awareness to the body as a whole,
The breathing body,
Tuning into yourself and noticing what comes up when you ask yourself what could be a kind supportive wish to myself right now.
It might be may I feel safe or may I have patience or may I feel healthy,
Happy,
At ease.
Just choose the words that come from your heart and that can be taken to heart.
You may wish to invite a gentle smile to your face just as you would also do when you give a present to another person,
Feeling the touch of your hands on your heart that may also support receiving the wish and every experience,
Pleasant or unpleasant,
Can be welcomed as part of this practice and continuing with this practice for as long as you need to and just returning to it whenever you find a good moment.
