How To Watch Your Breath | Relaxing Take Home Technique

Watching the breath is an age-old meditation technique of concentration that is, by itself, transformative and also provides the foundation for more expansive practice. This is a 'take home' practice because once you know how to do this, you'll be able to sit to meditate anytime of day or night - even a few minutes of watching the breath, especially when practiced regularly, can completely rewire your nervous system for relaxation, calmness, and peace.

This guided practice is less than 7 minutes long, but as you practice on your own and your faculty of concentration grows, you will likely find yourself wanting to extend the time. This is because calmness feels good, is enjoyable, and is your true nature. When we discover this, and begin to feel this, we naturally want to spend more time AS this. AS ourselves.

Transcript

Okay,

So sit with a nice upright spine.

Place your hands on your thighs at the juncture of thighs and abdomen or a little bit further forward if that's more comfortable for you.

You can place your palms up.

Close the eyes gently,

Eyelids soft,

Eyes soft behind your eyelids.

Gently uplift your gaze behind your closed eyelids toward the point between your eyebrows.

No straining,

Just a gentle upward gaze.

Allow your breath to flow naturally in and out through your nose.

Relax your face.

Relax your jaw.

Allow your tongue to fall away from the roof of your mouth.

And begin to notice your breath.

See if you can locate the spot in your nostrils where you can feel the air passing.

Cool on the inhale and warm on the exhale.

Become an observer of your own breath.

Don't control the breath in any way.

We just allow it to flow naturally and observe it.

Focus on your breath.

Become curious about your breath.

When you notice your mind wandering,

Notice and then gently but firmly come back to your breath.

As we focus on the breath,

It begins to slow and as the breath slows down,

The mind begins to slow down.

And as the mind begins to slow down,

The breath slows down and grows more quiet.

As the breath grows quiet,

The mind can grow more quiet.

It's a virtuous cycle,

Mind and breath.

Check in with your gaze,

Gently uplifted.

Just a few more moments now of watching the breath.

Tune in to your breath.

Concentrate.

Good.

Now,

Take an intentional inhale through your nose and an exhale through your nose.

Prepare to come back to the space where you are.

And when you're ready,

You can flutter open your eyes.