Welcome to this 10-minute guided meditation to help establish the breath as an anchor for your practice.
So go ahead and settle into a comfortable position.
And you may close your eyes or look downward,
Whatever is most comfortable for you.
And just start by taking a few long,
Deep breaths.
As you breathe in,
Following the breath as it enters through your nose,
Causing your chest to expand,
For the belly to rise.
And then as you exhale,
Letting go of any tension in your body.
And as you exhale again,
Letting your eyes and face soften.
And with another exhale,
Loosening the jaw and letting the shoulders relax and the arms and hands rest easily.
And just allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
The invitation throughout this meditation will be to stay with the breath at your choice.
Meaning if at any point you are feeling overwhelmed by body sensations,
Feelings,
Emotions,
Thoughts,
Feel free to open the eyes for a little bit or shift positions or even choose another anchor or home base that brings you a sense of ease.
It could be noticing sounds such as the birds outside the window or feeling the point of contact from the seat beneath you.
Or focusing on areas that feel neutral in your body,
Such as your hands or feet.
Now bringing your attention to your body breathing right now.
Seeing that it is always breathing quite naturally.
Perhaps begin noticing where it's easiest to feel your breath.
It might be a coolness you feel in your nostrils on the in breath or warmth on the upper lip with the out breath.
Or maybe you sense a swirling or tingling in the back of your throat.
It might be the rise and fall of your chest or belly.
Or it might be the sensations of the whole body breathing.
Wherever you find the breath easiest to feel or most pleasant,
Just bring a kind attention there.
If it's difficult to feel the breath,
You can place a hand on your belly and feel the rise and fall of your belly and the palm of your hand.
This is another way to stay with your breath.
Each time you notice your mind wandering away,
Just gently bring it back as if taking the hand of a small child who has wandered off and gently guiding her back home.
Back to the present.
If it's helpful,
You can notice the beginning,
Middle,
And ending of the in breath.
And the beginning,
Middle,
And end of the out breath.
Maybe even noticing the space between your breaths and resting in those spaces and relaxing with the breathing.
Each breath rising and falling with mindful awareness.
And if you need some more help studying your mind,
You can also try counting rhythmically.
Counting one on the in breath and two on the out breath.
One on the in breath and two on the out breath.
As you feel each breath,
Continuing to let the mind calm and the body relax.
So as we near the end of our practice,
I'd like to share a poem by the poet Donna Faulds called Walk Slowly.
It only takes a reminder to breathe,
A moment to be still.
And just like that,
Something in me settles,
Softens,
Makes space for imperfection.
The harsh voice of judgment drops to a whisper.
And I remember again that life isn't a relay race.
That we will all cross the finish line.
That waking up to life is what we were born for.
As many times as I forget,
Catch myself charging forward without even knowing where I'm going.
That many times I can make the choice to stop,
To breathe and be and walk slowly into the mystery.
Slowly bring your attention back to the room.
And whenever you're ready,
Open your eyes.
