The beauty of the breath is the simplicity of it.
Its constant presence in our body allows for stillness and brief pauses throughout the day.
If we can bring conscious awareness and intention to this practice,
We can allow for awareness moment to moment.
This breath awareness investigation is an invitation to explore the natural rhythms of the breath in the body,
Sensing and feeling into the flow of the breath as it expands and softens with each inhale and exhale.
Beginning to settle in,
Arriving,
Allowing the body to rest,
Relax with an alertness and subtle energy.
The key is to be comfortable and aware of the body's needs while keeping energy and alertness along with relaxation.
The natural curve of the spine extending and lengthening towards the sky.
Feeling the lips and allowing the breath to move through the nostrils.
It's just beginning to sense into the flow of the breath and allowing for an awareness of this natural ebb and flow,
The natural rhythm.
No pushing or forcing,
Just slow,
Easy,
Comfortable breathing.
Starting to inhale,
Sensing a fullness and on the exhale,
A release and softening.
Staying here for a couple of breaths,
Just allowing for a sensing into the direct felt sense of the breath in the body.
Inhale and release.
And slowly and gently begin to shift the attention to the length of the exhale.
Without forcing,
Gently inhaling and exhaling and feeling into the slight pause at the bottom of the exhale.
Guide your attention to the exhale and to the pause.
Before the new breath begins,
Can we rest our attention into that softening?
Relaxing into that moment,
The brief moment of stillness in the body and in the mind before the next breath arises.
Inhale,
Sensing the lift,
The energy,
And exhale,
The release and the pause.
And a couple more breaths,
Just like that,
Feeling into the breath in the body.
And allowing for this brief spaciousness,
This moment of silence that is available to you.
And knowing that when the waves of tension,
Stress,
Or overwhelm arise,
The brief moment to restore even at the pause of the exhale and to reset are here and available,
Bringing the palms together in self-connection.
This concludes our practice today.
