Welcome to this mindfulness meditation.
My name is Lara and I'll be your guide.
I invite you to find a comfortable position.
You may be seated or perhaps reclined.
You may be seated on a cushion or maybe a soft blanket.
Maybe you have an eye pillow gently covering your eyes.
If you are seated,
Sit up straight.
Don't worry about perfect posture.
Just be here.
Be comfortable.
You can gently close the eyes or soften the gaze.
Without changing anything,
Bring the attention to the breath.
You can place one hand on your chest,
On the other,
On the belly to feel the rise and the fall of the breath.
Or perhaps the hands lie gently on the lap with the palms up to receive or the palms down to ground.
Become aware of yourself.
Become aware of the breath.
Remind yourself that at this very moment you have nowhere else to be,
Nothing else to do.
You're simply here.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Notice the quality of the breath.
It's choppy.
It's smooth.
Feel it as it enters through your nostrils,
Travels down the lungs into the belly.
On your next exhale,
Exhale completely,
Pushing all of the air out from your lungs,
Allowing the diaphragm to expand naturally,
Letting the inhale take care of itself.
Pause.
Just notice whether you feel just a little bit more relaxed.
Now allow the breath to flow more naturally,
Not doing anything to change it or control it.
Find a place where the breath feels the best.
Maybe at the tip of your nose,
The back of your throat,
The bottom of your lungs.
Put your attention there for the next couple of moments.
As distractions arise,
Thoughts,
Sensations,
Or sounds,
Just notice them,
Acknowledge,
And let them go,
Bringing your attention back to the breath,
Remaining present and aware.
If it helps,
Just think to yourself or softly say,
I am breathing in.
I am breathing out.
Begin to notice your senses and just be aware of any sounds you may hear.
Maybe there's a bird singing in a tree or water trickling from a rock.
Maybe you hear the laughter of children playing in your neighbor's yard.
Just be aware and listen.
Be an observer.
Maybe you're in a place where you can feel the breeze,
If there are any smells.
Maybe you're burning a candle.
You can smell the meal that you just cooked.
The smell may spark a familiar feeling or maybe brings back a warm memory.
Your eyes are closed,
You see anything.
It's a warm color or a soft light that brings you comfort.
Now is the time just to relax and allow any tension remaining in the body to simply melt away.
If there's any areas of discomfort,
Just acknowledge them and let them go.
Release them to the earth.
Allow your attention to come back to the breath.
Follow it as it goes in and out of the body in a natural rhythm,
A natural pace.
Bring your awareness to the points where your body is connecting to the earth.
The earth supports you and keeps you safe.
Begin to ground down and notice your surroundings.
Bring the attention back to the breath as the breath flows from the body.
Begin to awaken the sounds that are there.
Begin to make small movements,
Maybe wiggling your fingers,
Your toes.
Maybe gently turning the head from one side and then the other.
And then maybe fluttering the eyes open,
Coming back into an awareness.
I thank you for sharing this short meditation with me.
Namaste.
