Making any adjustments you need to make.
When we practice within a self-compassion framework,
The preparing our body for meditation is just as important as the meditation itself because we want to be supporting our body.
We want to make practice as simple as we can without any added pain or pressure or stress on our body.
It's an act of self-compassion to make sure our body is supported as we do our practice.
And that includes being warm enough and cool enough.
You feel that your throat is dry whilst we're meditating,
Then taking a little sip of your drink,
Tending to your physical needs.
This body is a pretty amazing resource,
Worthy of being looked after.
Starting to notice your breathing.
There's nothing we need to do to the breath.
We don't need to orchestrate the breath,
Control it in any way.
Simply being aware that you are breathing.
Allowing your breathing to come to a natural pace.
Allowing your breathing to come to its resting rate.
Allowing your breathing to come to its resting rate.
Once you feel that your breathing has reached its natural resting rate,
Trying a little experiment if it feels okay.
And allowing your out-breath to release a bit more slowly than usual.
We're not creating a longer out-breath by forcing more air out of our system.
We're simply slowing down the pace of the out-breath.
If this feels stressful at all to you,
Then just return to normal breathing.
That's totally fine.
It's just an experiment.
Sometimes if we try to manipulate the breath,
It brings anxiety so it's an act of self-compassion to not do that.
To choose to return to focusing on your normal resting breath.
If it does feel okay to have a slower,
Slightly longer out-breath,
Noticing how that feels.
Unless it feels normal to your breathing to release.
You start to feel your breathing going out of sync then just returning to your normal breathing if you want to come back to a longer slower out breath doing that when you feel ready.
You you you you you if you're noticing any difficult emotions showing themselves and see your breathing as you're practicing you might like to put a hand on your heart or some other place on your body that feels soothing remembering to tend to yourself as you're practicing keeping yourself company to support your practice making your practice as easeful as possible you you you if you're not practicing with a slower out breath just being with your breathing at whatever pace it's happening at keeping your breathing company this old friend the breath you you there's we're starting to move towards the completion of this meditation if you've been practicing with a longer slower out breath allowing your breathing to return to its natural resting rate you moving your awareness expanding your awareness out to your body starting to become aware of your body the physicality of being in this body you're starting to move your fingers and your toes your wrists and your ankles your shoulders just little movements your torso you're ready gently opening your eyes you'd be looking around at the environment that you're in maybe even noticing something that you hadn't noticed before about this space that you're in or something you haven't you haven't put your attention on for a while
