Everyday Breath Practice - Feel, Label, Begin Again.

In this practice, you’re once again invited to connect with the breath, to calm the mind and soften the body. To help steady your attention and deepen your focus, we’ll add a simple support: labelling. Silently saying ‘inhale’ and ‘exhale’ as you breathe can guide your awareness and keep you close to the sensations of each breath. The mind will wander, that’s what it does. But when you notice it, you’re already back. In that moment of awareness, gently return to the breath. Inhale. Exhale. Begin again.

Transcript

Hi and welcome to your breath practice. So I invite you to find a comfortable position, Sat in a chair or on the floor, Even lying down if you're more comfortable that way. And when you're ready, Gently close your eyes. Just taking a moment to be still. Whatever's happening internally for you, Just be still. Just acknowledging what's there for you today. And begin by taking some nice deep breaths in through the nose, Out through the mouth. Just letting the body know that it can rest for the next short while. Nothing to do, Nowhere to be. This is your time. And if you haven't already, Just allowing the breath to return to a natural rhythm in and out through the nose. Just becoming aware of the contact you're making with the chair and the floor. Just noticing that feeling of weight pressing down. And then with a subtle shift, Just noticing how you're being supported. Noticing any sounds around you that you can hear. Sounds that are close by in the room with you. And those that are also further away. Noticing how your body's feeling in this moment. Not judging anything, Not trying to push anything away, Just observing. Everything is welcome. And then softening the muscles of the face. Allowing the shoulders to drop, The arms to be heavy. Breathing into a nice soft belly. Softening from your hips to your knees, Your knees to your ankles. And relaxing your feet. You now become aware of your breath. Noticing where you feel the breath the most today. Maybe it's the movement of the tummy, Chest, The throat, The nose. But once you've located that spot, This is where you can rest your attention and keep coming back to throughout this practice. Just observing the breath, Becoming curious of it. Its movement, The sensations, The length of the inhale and the exhale. Just becoming aware of everything that happens internally as you breathe. And feel free to continue just observing the sensations of the breath. Or you can also start to label the breath. As you breathe in, You can silently say to yourself, Inhale. And as you breathe out, You can silently say, Exhale. Inhale, Breath in. Exhale, Breath out. And when you notice that your mind is wandered, You've become lost in thought, It's okay. In that moment, You have an opportunity to practice some mindfulness and gently return back to the breath. And once you've returned, You can start to label it again. Inhale, Breath in. Exhale, Breath out. When the mind wanders, Just keep coming back to the breath. Understanding that this is the very process of meditation. We focus, We lose focus, And we refocus. Simply coming back to the breath and the labeling. Now just let the focus on the breath go. And just rest in this space you've created for yourself. Becoming aware of the contact you're making with the chair or the floor. Getting a sense of the space that you're in once again. Noticing sounds, The temperature. And when you're ready, You can gently blink open your eyes. And just taking a moment to be still before you move off into whatever you have to do next. So thank you for connecting with me today, And I'll see you next time.