This is Lacey from True Nature Meditation with a guided breathing practice.
Find a comfortable position seated standing or lying down and take a couple of inhales and exhales to let go of the tensions from the day.
Today we're going to observe our breathing as an anchor to help us stay present in this meditation.
So as you inhale and exhale,
Notice the way the air is moving your body.
You might feel your rib cage moving or the diaphragm muscle,
A bell-shaped muscle inside your rib cage going up and down.
Sometimes the lower belly expands and contracts with the breathing.
Can you get a sense of your lungs filling with air and emptying out again?
If your mind starts to wander and you get carried into thoughts and feelings,
Just notice that.
Just notice that what's coming up for you and let it be.
Greet it with warmth and compassion and then come back to feeling the way the breath moves the body.
You might feel behind your shoulders,
The back of the lungs moving or even under your collarbones the breathing goes up all the way up there.
Now the breath as it goes through the nostrils and back out again.
There's no need to change the breath or lengthen the breath or hold the breath.
We're simply letting ourselves become breathed.
We're just noticing the breath.
With each breath you may want to allow yourself to relax a little deeper.
As you breathe you could notice the blood flowing through your body.
The oxygen comes in,
It's fresh through the heart.
Fresh oxygenated blood goes to the extremities and then comes back again.
That might feel like a pulsing sensation or a warmth or a tingling.
You may want to listen to the sound of the breath as it comes in through your nose or mouth.
Notice the inhale,
The quality of the inhale and notice the exhale.
How do they feel in comparison to each other?
Sometimes one is longer and the other is shorter.
Now let go of any effort at all.
Let go of watching the breath and let's simply sit for a few moments.
Thank you.
You may want to slowly open your eyes,
Wiggle your toes.
We've come to the end of the meditation for today.
Take good care.
