This will be a simple mindfulness of breathing meditation.
It should last about 15 minutes.
So before we begin,
Just get comfortable,
Find a seat,
And sit in any way you like,
As long as your body can relax,
Preferably with a straight back.
Begin to release any tension in the body,
Any obvious pockets of holding or clenching.
Relax your legs,
Relax your hips,
Relax all the way up the spine.
Relax your shoulders and your face,
And relax your mind.
Keeping your eyes open,
Bring your attention to the space around you,
To the room that you're sitting in,
And just observe.
Feel yourself sat in the space around you.
Listen to the sounds around you,
Opening your mind to everything in the room.
Not judging,
Not labeling,
Just being and noticing.
Gently,
When you're ready,
Close your eyes and continue to feel the space around you.
Notice that the space didn't disappear as you closed your eyes.
Continue to listen,
Noticing every little sound,
Remaining centered as the silence arise and pass away in your awareness.
Now slowly bring your attention to your entire body.
You might feel the points of pressure against the seat or the ground.
You might feel your breath.
You might feel yourself occupying the space around you.
Whatever it is,
Open your mind as best you can to your entire body,
Noticing anything that comes up,
Any tension or discomfort.
Don't try to make anything go away.
Just begin to get to know your body.
Become familiar with what it feels like to just be sat there.
Now narrow your attention a little bit more to the breath in the body,
Feeling the entire breath from the base of the spine,
The belly,
The chest,
The rise and fall of the shoulders,
And the feel of the air at the back of the throat through the nose.
Notice your entire body breathing.
And as you do this,
Try not to interfere with your breath.
Let it be natural.
Let the body breathe itself as it almost always does.
And watch and feel what it's like to breathe.
This can be difficult,
So don't worry if you find yourself taking control of the breath.
Just notice what that feels like too.
You might notice at this point that your mind begins to wander.
And if that happens,
Just gently notice it,
Let go of the thought,
And come back to the breath.
Now continue to narrow your attention,
Bringing your attention to the sensations of the breath at the nose.
Whatever sensations are coming up around the nose that give you the information that you're breathing,
What is it you're calling the breath at the nose?
It might be the rasping of the air as it comes in and out,
A slight tingling,
Maybe a coolness as you breathe in,
And a slightly warmer air as you breathe out.
Anchor your attention to this small area and try and notice as many little sensations as possible,
Keeping your mind relaxed.
It may help you to count the breaths at the end of each exhale,
Counting up to 10 and starting again at 1,
And starting again at 1 anytime you forget where you are.
If you notice your mind starts thinking about something else,
Wandering,
Worrying,
Whatever it is,
Just gently say,
Not right now,
And come back to the breath.
Noticing all the sensations of the in-breath,
Perhaps noticing the little pause at the top of the in-breath,
The exhale and the pause at the bottom of the exhale.
If any feelings of agitation or impatience or boredom come up,
Just notice what they feel like.
Notice the constellation of sensations that are giving you that message,
And gently come back to the breath.
Now maintaining that attention on the sensations of the breath at the nose,
Expand your peripheral attention back to the entire body.
You may oscillate between these two,
You may try to hold both in your mind at the same time,
But remain relaxed,
Aware of the whole body,
Relaxed,
But also focused,
Focused on the sensations of the breath at the nose.
Combining concentration and relaxation,
Relaxing your body into the focus.
Now relaxing your concentration,
Bring your awareness back to the entire body,
Noticing any different sensations,
Anything at all.
Continuing to expand outwards,
Bring your attention to the space around you,
The air around you,
To the sounds around you.
Again,
Feeling your body occupying space,
Staying relaxed,
Content,
Accepting,
Open to what's happening.
Maintaining this attention on the space around you,
Gently open your eyes,
Noticing the flood of new sensations,
Distractions.
Do your best to anchor your awareness in the present moment,
As you thank yourself for having practiced.
Thank you for practicing with me,
See you soon.
