Hi there,
And welcome to this meditation.
In this meditation,
We're going to work on our breath awareness and mindfulness.
The purpose of this meditation is to improve our focus.
Our breath is always with us,
No matter where we are.
So therefore,
It is a constant tool for us to help keep us grounded.
So as we begin,
Please find somewhere nice and comfortable to sit.
Find somewhere that you won't be disturbed for the next 10 minutes or so.
It's best to find somewhere where you can keep your back supported,
Allow your legs to extend outwards,
And allow your hands to rest peacefully on your lap.
And gently close your eyes.
As we begin,
I want you to pay attention to your normal breathing rhythm.
Don't try to make it any deeper or alter it in any way.
Notice your natural breath as it is.
Notice every breath in.
Notice every breath out.
You can exhale either through your nose or through your mouth,
Whichever one you prefer.
Now try to slightly deepen your breathing pattern.
Not in a forceful manner,
But just slightly deeper than your normal breathing pattern.
Settle into that deeper breathing.
Now I'm going to give you a couple minutes or so so you can settle into that pattern.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
As you continue to breathe deeply,
You're almost guaranteed to be interrupted by a thought,
Emotion,
Or physical sensation.
That's okay.
That means you're human.
If that does happen and you get taken away by thoughts or emotions,
That's okay.
Just catch yourself and gently bring your focus back to your breath.
Getting lost or taken away by a thought is natural.
All we need to do is notice the thoughts and ever so slightly and compassionately bring yourself back to the rhythm of your breath.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
You can now return your breath to its normal breathing pattern.
But as you do so,
Notice as the breath travels through your nose,
All the way down to your lungs and into your abdomen.
Notice your abdomen and chest contracting.
And notice your breath leaving your nose or mouth.
Again,
If you get taken away by thought,
Compassionately bring your focus back to your breath.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Don't judge or berate yourself for having a thought or emotion.
It's part of being human.
If it arises,
Don't fight it.
Just notice it.
Allow it to be there and gently bring yourself back to your breath.
For the last couple minutes or so,
We're going to add a little bit of a pause.
After every inhale,
Take a pause for about four seconds before exhaling.
And after every exhale,
Take a pause also for about four seconds.
This is known as box breathing.
Your breaths should also probably be about four seconds in duration as well.
Breathing in.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breathing out.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breathing in.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breathing out.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Of course,
If you're having trouble with this,
Don't feel any need or pressure to continue.
But if you can,
Just continue on for a few more moments.
You can now return to your normal breathing pattern.
As we bring this meditation to a close,
Slowly wiggle your fingers and toes and begin to open your eyes.
Bring yourself back to the place that you're in.
And as you go about the rest of your day,
Whenever you feel the need or desire to come back to yourself or to refocus yourself,
Remember you always have your breath.
Take as long as you might need to safely return to your breath and to yourself.
Thanks for joining me today.
