In this meditation we are diving deep into the ocean of awareness,
Gradually making our way towards stable,
Focused attention on the breath.
So we're going through different layers of awareness,
Where we narrow gradually the field of attention while maintaining a broad overall awareness.
This wide open awareness prevents us from getting drowsy and provides the balance that is needed to enter the state of mindfulness which we want to cultivate through the practice of meditation.
While we explore the different layers,
I will always give you some time in stillness so that you can really dive into the experience that each layer has to offer.
And whenever you find your mind wandering,
Gently come back to the object of attention and put a little smile on your face as a gesture of gratitude towards your subconscious mind that brought you back into the present moment.
It is a simple yet effective way to tame your monkey mind by rewarding its willingness to settle into the here and now.
So please find a comfortable meditation posture that provides stability and a straight back.
And where you can find ease and stillness.
Whenever you feel the urge to change your posture or eliminate an unpleasant feeling,
Try to sit with that a little longer,
To give the urge the chance to fade away on its own.
It is a precious experience that strengthens our ability to endure the absent flows of everyday life.
And if you find that you really can't sit with this urge any longer,
Set an intention to make the required adjustment after the next exhalation.
Instead of responding immediately without awareness,
This will strengthen our ability to think before reacting.
Ground down into your posture and close the eyes if it's comfortable to reduce the inflow of stimulation.
With your next exhalation,
Arrive in the present moment,
Inhaling deeply.
And exhale,
Let everything go.
Again,
Take a deep breath inside a belly.
And with the out-breath,
Let something go that holds you back from centering into the here and now.
With every inhalation,
Taking new energy in,
Energy that is needed to focus our mind.
And with every exhalation,
Settle down into the present moment.
Let your awareness be wide open,
Allowing the senses to float freely from one object to another,
Scanning through all the different sensations in this open field.
What is it that you can hear in the distance or closest to your body?
Is there anything you can smell or taste?
And when thoughts arise,
Let them come in.
Let them stay for a while as part of your broad awareness and let them go by time on their own.
With every exhalation,
There's a new possibility to let something go.
With your next breath,
Your field of attention becomes smaller,
Focusing on all the sensations on the surface or inside your body,
While maintaining a broad overall awareness.
What sensations are present right now?
Maybe you feel the touch of the fabric you're wearing on your skin or the contact points of your heavy body with the ground beneath.
Notice the different temperature qualities on the surface of your skin.
With every exhalation,
You draw your attention deeper inside.
Notice if there are any areas of tension.
If so,
Then send your breath towards them,
Using every exhalation to bring ease into this area and let the tension melt away.
With every exhalation,
You draw your attention deeper inside.
Bring your attention gently back to the sensations every time you realize that you drifted away.
And remember to put a little smile of gratitude on your face for your ability to come back into the presence again and again.
With your next exhalation,
Try to feel every little sensation that is connected to the inflow and outflow of your breath,
Noticing all the areas that are touched or moved by your breath.
Feel the expansion.
Feel the expansion and contraction in the different areas.
But try not to control your breath.
Simply be the observer.
And again,
If it's uncomfortable and you want to change your posture,
Remember you have the power to decide whether you want to change it immediately or after setting an intention to wait for the next exhalation to do so.
When you drift away,
Be sure the next breath comes to take your attention on a ride,
Passing the nose,
Chest,
Belly and back again.
Belly,
Chest,
Nose.
Now is the time to focus your attention on the area around your nose.
Pick a specific focus point where you can sense the subtle sensations of the in and out breath most vividly and stick with the sensation in this particular area.
For example,
Feeling the in and outflow inside your nostrils.
Feeling the cooling stream of the in breath and the warm stream of the air with your out breath.
This is a good point where you can use a counting method to help focusing the mind by counting the beginning of each out breath.
Breathing in and out one.
Breathing in and out two.
And so forth.
Counting up to ten and start all over again.
And maybe after some time you find that you don't need the counting method anymore.
And the more your attention stabilizes,
The stronger the sensations get and by time you will notice the gaps in between each breath and the stillness that lies within them.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You might find it helpful to ask yourself how is the quality of the breath?
Is it shallow or deep?
How long is the in breath compared to the out breath?
Thank you.
Slowly we're going on our journey back.
Into a wider field of attention.
By feeling all the areas your breath touches in the body.
Now feeling the whole body from the in and outside.
Every in breath drags you more and more out of your body.
And then back again into the room you're sitting or lying in.
Opening the senses towards all the sensations around you.
Let your attention and awareness melt together.
Taking again a long deep breath in.
And exhale throughout the mouth.
You can slowly blink your eyes open.
Letting the sense of sight take you back into the room.
Maybe you can already feel the deep peace and contentment that comes with focusing our attention on the breath.
While keeping an open awareness to the space around us.
Thank you so much for listening.
I wish you a pleasant time ahead.
Namaste.
