Welcome.
Settling into a position that works for you.
Whether that's seated or lying down,
Option to gently close your eyes either all the way or halfway.
And if that's not comfortable or available at this time,
Just find a spot or a field of view that you can soften your gaze upon.
Throughout the day there are countless people,
Things,
And thoughts trying to grab your attention.
Right here and now.
Visualize bringing your attention and your focus back to you.
First start by bringing your attention back into this room.
Then bringing your attention,
Focus,
And awareness to your body and how it feels right now.
Notice the temperature,
Any sensations,
Tension,
Tightness.
Observe it all.
Now see how you can find a little more space.
If you're seated,
Maybe sitting up a little taller.
If you're lying down,
Stretch out a little bit more.
Find or create space.
Make any last adjustments or fidgeting before finding your way towards the direction of stillness.
Now visualize turning your focus inward,
Bringing your awareness to the more internal workings of your body.
Scan the body internally,
Just checking in,
Observing,
And letting a wave of relaxation follow along the way.
Bring your focus to your breath.
You don't need to change or do anything yet.
Feel,
Listen,
And observe your breath.
Notice where your breath is going in and out through,
How it feels as it enters and exits.
Can you feel your chest and abdomen rising and falling as you breathe?
There's no wrong answers here to these questions,
Just tools to help you dig in a little deeper.
Notice if your breath feels deep and free-flowing or shallow and stagnant.
Notice if your breath is equal or not.
And what else do you notice here?
The breath flows automatically.
The body knows how and when to inhale and exhale.
It knows how much oxygen you need.
And now begin to make a conscious effort in how you breathe,
Overriding the automatic function of breathing with a breathing technique designed to calm and balance the nervous system and to assist you in slowing down the vacillating thoughts.
And as normal for thoughts or distractions to try to pull your focus away through this meditation,
Try to notice and acknowledge the distraction and come right back to the meditation letting my voice guide you.
Follow along with me,
Starting by taking a deep exhale,
Audibly sighing your breath out through your mouth.
Then take a nice big deep breath in through the nose and again exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
One more time,
Same thing.
Inhale through your nose,
Exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
Continue like that as I explain the next step to you.
Next you will do this with the lips closed.
Deep inhale through your nose,
Not in a rush.
Now exhale,
Sigh it out through your nose with your lips closed.
Again,
Inhale through your nose,
Exhale through your nose.
A couple more times,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Exhale.
Now let's count and stretch the breath out.
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three.
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three.
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three.
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three.
Now to four.
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Repeat five more rounds,
Counting silently to yourself.
Try to keep track.
If you lose it,
Start from the beginning and I'll catch up with you.
And now check in,
Stopping the counting of your breath,
But pause and notice the effects that this has on your body and your mind.
Shifting your breath,
Shifting your focus,
And allow your breath to just settle back towards its natural rhythm.
You might feel a deeper connection to your breath here,
But just observe.
Bring your focus back into your body,
Back into the room,
And your surroundings.
Carry these tools and feelings with you throughout your day.
Thanking yourself for carving this time out of your schedule for yourself,
And thank you for choosing this meditation with me.
Namaste.
You
