Hi and welcome to this meditation.
My name is Lauren and I am so happy to be guiding you today.
I'll be guiding you through a technique called Zen Breath Meditation.
During this meditation we'll open all of our five senses including sight so you can have your eyes open for this meditation.
We'll be using the breath and counting the breath in order to focus on our present moment awareness.
There will be gaps of silence throughout the meditation to allow the mind to fall into states of mindfulness and focus.
Sit comfortably both literally in your body,
The spine upright,
Relax the face and the jaw and also symbolically be at ease in the mind.
We won't force anything special to happen,
Simply relax and be at ease.
Gently lower the gaze,
Having your gaze resting two to three feet in front of you.
Feel the natural state of the body,
Notice the natural state of the breath,
Not judging,
Simply allowing it to be.
Feel each breath rising and falling.
The simple natural breath as it is.
Soften the focus,
Open the field of vision,
Allow all the senses to be open and aware.
Let's bring our awareness to the breath,
Allow the breath to be the anchor of the meditation,
Allow all experiences to come as they are.
We won't resist thoughts,
We won't resist sound,
We won't resist sensation,
We won't resist emotion,
We won't resist sight and we won't resist discomfort.
Whatever comes,
Let it come.
We'll bring the awareness back to the breath.
Breathe into the abdomen without changing the breath.
We'll begin to count each breath.
Breathe in,
We count one.
As we breathe out,
We count two.
When we breathe in again,
We count three and we breathe out again,
Counting four.
Count each breath up to ten,
Breathe.
Then begin counting again at one.
So breathing in,
Count,
Breathing out,
Count.
We'll count every breath in and out until we reach ten,
Then start again.
Breathe.
If we count past ten,
It's okay.
If we get lost in thought,
It's okay.
We'll begin again from one,
Breathe.
If we count to three,
Four,
And then wander in thought or forget the count,
It's okay.
Begin again.
Start with one,
Breathe.
Allow each breath to flow naturally as it is.
If the breath is long,
Let it be long.
If the breath is short,
Let it be short.
We'll count the breath as it is.
Inhale one,
Exhale two.
Inhale again three,
Exhale again four.
Up to ten,
Breathe.
Allow the awareness to open.
Count the breath.
Breath coming in,
Count one.
Breath going out,
Count two.
Count each breath up to ten,
Then start again.
Breathe.
It's okay to notice thoughts.
It's okay to notice sounds,
Sensations.
Just continue to count.
We'll count every breath.
Breathe.
If we lose the count,
Start again.
And if we count past ten,
Start again.
Count each breath.
One to ten,
Breathe.
If we count past ten,
It's okay.
We got lost in thought.
We'll begin again from one,
Breathe.
If we count three,
Four,
And then wander in thought or forget the count,
It's okay.
Begin again.
Start with one.
Allow the breath to anchor the mind.
Breathe.
Now,
Keeping the gaze heavy,
Let go of the count.
Continue to breathe,
Noticing the flow without counting the breath.
Allow the mind to move away from the breath.
Simply allow the mind to be.
Allow any sensations in the body to settle down.
And now,
In your own time,
Whenever you are comfortable,
We can slowly,
Gently gently flutter the eyes open.
And as you flutter the eyes open,
Allow the mindfulness of grounding the mind in the present moment to carry throughout the rest of your day.
We won't worry if the mind wandered while we were meditating or if we lost the count.
It's okay and it's normal.
Every time we practice this technique of zen breath meditation,
We strengthen our mind's capacity to be in the present moment,
To be aware and awake in the present.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Again,
My name is Lauren and I hope to practice again with you soon.
Namaste.
