Start by finding a posture that feels both relaxed and alert.
Put your gaze down or close your eyes.
Mind straight,
Hands on your lap,
Feet squarely on the floor,
And noticing what the body is like in this moment.
This is meeting what's happening with awareness and clarity.
No need to fix or change or control the body.
Just noticing what it's like right now,
Is it tired or achy,
Serene or calm?
And just noticing the quality of the mind right now,
Are thoughts fast or slow?
And just allow whatever thoughts or sensations are there to be there.
And turn your attention to the breath.
And just notice how you're breathing right now.
Breathing is a good barometer for our inner experience.
Is the breath deep or shallow,
Is it long or short,
Tense or relaxed?
Just bringing some conscious awareness to the breath.
Now can you notice where your in-breath begins?
Just feeling the sensation of the beginning of the in-breath.
You might pay attention to the tip of your nose or the back of your throat or your chest expanding or the whole breath,
Just somewhere.
And can you notice that point where each inhale begins and be present for the beginning?
And then can you follow a whole inhale with your attention?
Where the in-breath begins,
A whole inhale.
And noticing where the inhale ends.
Can you sense the space between the inhale and exhale?
Now can you notice where the exhale begins?
Can you follow a whole exhale?
Where the exhale begins,
Following a whole exhale.
And noticing where the exhale ends.
And can you notice the gap between where the exhale ends and the inhale begins?
Just catching that space,
That pause that happens with every breath.
And now can you follow a full cycle of breath?
The whole inhale,
Space,
Whole exhale,
Gap.
Allowing the breath to be a home base,
An anchor for your awareness.
And as you're following the breath,
Of course you'll notice many other things,
Thoughts or sensations or sounds.
Just let those play in the background and keep most of your attention on staying with each breath.
Let's monopoly again.
And where's the attention now?
And you follow this next full cycle of breath.
In any moment you can begin again and feel the next breath.
And you follow this next full cycle of breath.
And you follow this next full cycle of breath.
