Do this longer practice in a room where you will not be disturbed.
Turn off your cell phone and anything else that might pull your attention.
You can always go back to them once you've done this practice and they will still be there.
Sit in a comfortable position on a chair or floor or even on your bed.
Start by just noticing how your day has been so far and how you're feeling right now.
Acknowledge yourself for taking this time with yourself to restore and renew.
Notice your whole body.
What sensations are here?
Feel the sensations as you sit,
The support of the floor or cushion beneath you,
The different sensations in your body.
And now bring attention to the breath in your belly.
Does your belly move as you breathe?
There's no need to change the breath.
Simply notice how the breath breathes itself.
If you like,
You can take your hands and rest them on the belly and see if that helps you to feel the movement of your breathing.
Allow the breath's movement to hold you steady in the moment.
If you can feel that movement,
You're present.
So what you'll notice is that thoughts will arise.
Am I doing this right?
I like doing this.
I don't like doing this.
See if you can notice those thoughts.
You might say to yourself,
Oh,
That's what I'm thinking right now.
And then bring your attention back to the breath.
So it doesn't matter how many times the mind wanders.
You're just getting to know the wandering mind.
It's quite normal for thoughts to come and go.
We're practicing being able to come back to the feeling of breathing again and again.
You can imagine that the breath is like an anchor.
Can you feel it in the body now?
So every time you notice that your thoughts are busy on tomorrow or yesterday,
Homework or friends or anything else,
Congratulate yourself for noticing.
And come back to feeling the breath.
If you like,
You can also notice how the breath moves through the whole body.
Can you notice the feeling of breathing in the region of the chest?
Can you feel the movement of breath at the nostrils?
See,
This is time that you're taking just to make friends with your breath.
The breath is always here,
So you may as well get to know it.
So can you notice where your attention is right now?
It's reminding yourself to come back to your breathing.
The more we learn to do that,
The more we learn to be present,
To focus,
And to take care of the moment we're in.
So as we come to the end of this practice,
Notice how you're feeling now.
And as you maintain an awareness of your breath and your body,
You might like to,
In your own way,
Take time to just pat yourself on the back and say,
Well done.
This is time well spent,
No matter how you found it.
So move your body now and stretch in any way you wish.
And remember from time to time during the day just to feel your breath.
