Finding ourselves in a comfortable position.
Maybe we are seated or laying down.
Maybe our eyes are closed.
However we are most comfortable.
Let's bring our attention to our breath.
Feeling our belly rise with our inhale and fall with our exhale.
With each inhale feeling the body expand and with each exhale feeling the body retract easily and effortlessly.
When a newborn comes into this world their first few breaths are short and irregular.
But in just a few moments their bodies adapt to being out of the womb and their inhales and exhales become slower and deeper.
Maybe our breath up until this point today has been short and irregular like a newborn's first few breaths.
But now we are taking a few moments to allow our bodies to adapt to our meditation practice.
Allowing our inhales and exhales to become slower and deeper.
Noticing as we breathe a long inhale and a quick pause that follows the long drawn out exhale and the quick pause before taking another breath.
We are noticing the stages between each breath.
Noticing the breaks our body takes in order for us to breathe.
On our inhale imagining the body as a balloon inflating and becoming weightless.
And on our exhale imagining the body as a balloon deflating.
Gently lowering the body.
Inhaling balloon inflates the body lifts exhaling the balloon deflates and the body lowers back down.
Noticing how our breath feels as it enters through the nostrils and how our breath feels as we release the air and it flows out of our nostrils.
Imagining that we can see our breath just like we can on a chilly day.
On each exhale we see a cloud form in front of our face and on our inhale the cloud fades away.
We are content for a moment exhaling seeing the cloud warm in front of our face and on our inhale watching each cloud dissipate.
On our next exhale we watch the cloud form in front of our face and this time we follow the cloud as it floats away.
It floats toward a tree and this tree has no leaves.
The bark is dead and this tree looks so sad.
As our cloud of breath floats toward the tree the tree takes it in and in return the tree gives us more oxygen for our inhale.
We follow this exchange between ourselves and the tree inhaling in the oxygen the tree gives exhaling out watching the tree take in our cloud of breath and become more fruitful and beautiful.
With each exhale we give the tree becomes more alive and more vibrant giving us more oxygen to inhale.
We watch this exchange between the tree and ourselves.
The tree gives us breath and in return we give it breath.
We give the tree life and in return it gives us life.
Thus,
A tree of life.
Nature is us and we are nature.
We are connected in this way to all people and to all things.
Let's begin to find our way back to our breath.
Checking in with the body noticing it expand on our inhale and then release and relax on the exhale.
When we are ready maybe opening our eyes taking in our surroundings maybe taking another breath in and out and then moving forward with our day.
