Affectionate Breathing

Warming up our conversation with ourselves by bringing affection to breath meditation. This is a cleaned audio file of the previously published meditation "Affectionate Breathing" by the well-known meditation teacher Kristin Neff.

Transcript

This meditation is called affectionate breathing and should take about 20 minutes to complete.

So start out by finding a comfortable position.

This could be in a chair,

On a meditation cushion,

Or you might even try lying on the floor in what's called the quartz pose in yoga with your limbs spread out slightly,

Feeling completely relaxed.

But only choose this one if you aren't too tired.

Alright,

So once you're in a comfortable position,

We're going to start.

Alright,

Start by getting in touch with your body in whatever position it's in right now.

Notice how your feet feel,

Your legs,

Your seat,

Your trunk,

Your shoulders,

Your head.

Just get in touch with your body right here,

Right now.

Notice any sensations you feel,

Tingling,

Throbbing,

Space.

Whether those sensations are pleasant or unpleasant or neutral,

It's fine.

Just get in touch with what you're feeling right now.

And now take three deep breaths to let out any tension from the day.

Let your breathing return to normal.

And see if you can notice where you feel the breath most strongly.

Maybe as it enters and exits your nostrils.

Or perhaps as it enters and exits your chest.

Or as your abdomen rises and falls.

Now one spot is better than another.

Just notice where you feel your breath most strongly.

Again,

Not trying to control the breath,

Slow it down.

Your body knows how to breathe itself.

Just try to relax and let your breathing be natural.

So now adopt a little half smile,

Very,

Very tiny,

Just so the corners of your mouth curl up just a little bit.

It shouldn't be strained or forced.

Just let your mouth adopt a position of a little bit of a smile with your mouth closed.

Notice how that makes you feel when your face adopts a position of contentment and peace,

Happiness with the present moment.

And now as you breathe in and out,

Noticing how each in-breath feels,

How each out-breath feels,

Try to let your breath be infused with affection for yourself and others,

With kindness for yourself and others.

Even if you don't really feel it,

Just set your intention for each breath to breathe in kindness and affection for yourself.

And each out-breath to breathe out affection and kindness for the world,

For others in the world who are suffering just like you are.

Your mind will naturally wander as it does this.

It's very normal,

Very human.

Don't judge yourself for your mind wandering.

Everyone does it.

Just notice when your mind has wandered.

This is a moment of mindfulness.

You're aware that your mind has wandered.

And bring your attention gently back to your breath,

Focusing on the feelings of affection and kindness that you're intending with each in-breath and each out-breath.

If it helps to get in touch with these feelings,

You might try putting your hand over your heart and feeling the warmth that's there.

Like I said,

There's a side to believing in this as you can believe shaping up to reach Coming back to the breath if your mind has wandered.

Feeling some appreciation for your breath itself.

Without breath we couldn't stay alive.

Without breath we couldn't stay alive.

Noticing each breath as it enters and exits your body.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Doing your little half smile.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

If your mind has wandered,

Bringing it gently and tenderly back to the breath.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Letting your breath soothe and comfort your body.

Releasing any tension there.

As you notice a gentle flow of your breath in and out.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

If your mind has wandered,

Just bring your awareness back to your breath without judgment.

Noticing the feelings of affection generated by your half smile.

Or perhaps you have your hand over your heart.

Getting in touch with the feelings of warmth there.

And gently return to your breath.

Kindness being breathed in and out.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Returning to the breath if your mind has wandered.

Focusing on your intention of kindness for yourself and others,

Of goodwill,

Of affection for all human beings,

Including ourselves.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

Feeling affection for yourself and for others.

And the meditation will end shortly,

So take this last minute or two to really focus on your breath.

Gently and kindly breathing in,

Breathing out.

Resting in the feelings of kindness you're generating.

Gently and gently breathing out.

Gently and gently breathing in.

Gently and gently breathing out.

Gently and gently breathing in.

Reviews

So simple and beautiful to do to start your day. Being with kindness in breath…Thankyou..😌🙏

Lovely practice. Ending bell is a bit abrupt though! ❤️

Wonderful. I wish I'd found this teacher years ago!

Very direct and simple, but with a clear and exact guiding through this fundamental practice. Thank you!

Great start to the day, thank you, have bookmarked and sent to my students 🙏🏻

Really lovely. Beautifully paced and loved the kind reminders to come back to the half smile.

Amazing thank you 💜

I felt I could treat myself with more kindness whenever my mind wondered, knowing that is something that occurs to everyone. Truly important, to relate to ourselves with kindness and compassion, like a mother with her child. Thank you🌸

Thank you for this joyful, self-loving breathing exercise. Giving myself and others grace today with a soft smile on my lips and on my heart. Namaste

So nice not to have additional music in the background. In so many recordings it just competes (clashes) with the process.

Plus a lovely session, thank you

Fabulous

So simple & surprisingly powerful Thank you from my heart ❤️

Thank you 🙏

Wonderful ♥️

Very clear & simple instructions. Lots of nice spaces of silence interspersed with general reminders.

Lovely meditation

Excellent guidance, lots of space to practice.

Drifted off somewhere in a silent gap of total still presence. Think I'm still there :) Thank you so much. ❤️🙏

💓

Excellent! Thank you Kristin 🙏🏻