So settling into the space that you're in,
Settling into this moment,
Finding a position that's comfortable enough where you can feel at ease but also attentive.
And you can go ahead and close the eyes.
And if closing the eyes doesn't feel comfortable to you,
By all means it's okay to keep them open.
Just rest your gaze upon something in front of you,
Something that's not distracting.
Let's take a moment just to notice where our attention is in this moment.
Is there something that we're thinking about?
Is there a noise that we're attracted to?
A feeling in the body?
There's no need to redirect it quite yet,
But just noticing where it's at.
Now let's ease that attention and our focus to the breath,
Using our breath as our anchor,
As the place to return to,
As the target for our attention and our focus in today's practice,
And bringing a heightened sense of curiosity,
An investigation to the breath.
Not to simply know that we're breathing,
But to really want to experience the breath,
To learn about the breath.
And let's start with just the very beginning of the breath,
Noticing where's the first space that we feel the breath begin.
When is the moment that we can say to ourselves,
Right here,
The inhale has started?
Where is that happening?
The mouth,
The nose,
How does it feel?
How would you describe it?
Moving with the breath down into the body.
How do we experience the breath in the body?
Where do we feel it?
What moves?
What expands?
What contracts?
What rises?
What falls?
Other parts of our body that move when we breathe that we wouldn't have otherwise expected to move.
How is this breath impacting our body?
And now let's bring our attention to that space in between the inhale and the exhale,
The transition of the breath.
What does this transition look like for you?
Is it long,
Smooth,
Like a nice big U-turn from one end to the other?
Is it sudden and sharp,
An immediate turn from inhale to exhale?
Or is it a pause?
Is there a moment in between where nothing is happening?
The breath is almost suspended and taking a few breaths just to be with this moment,
The moment in between the transition,
And then following the breath through the exhale,
Moving with the breath as it rises and leaves the body and noticing where does this happen?
Noticing possible similarities in the way that it feels between the exhale and the inhale.
How might it be different?
And then seeing if you can identify the exact moment that the breath ends,
The moment that it's officially over.
And now following each breath from beginning to end,
Being with each breath fully from the beginning down into the body,
Through the transition,
And then the exhale,
Starting over with each new breath.
And as the mind wanders as it will,
As it's pulled into thought,
Pulled away by sound,
Distracted by feeling in the body,
To simply notice that there's no need to be critical of ourselves or judgmental.
Our mind is just doing what it does.
But in these moments,
We can firmly,
But kindly redirect our focus,
Our attention to the breath,
This constant exercise of placing our attention where we want it when we want it there,
And doing the best we can to hold it there and redirecting and coming back as many times as necessary.
Whether it's five or 50,
Just come back to this breath right here.
Only thing if it gets harder to pay attention,
Because of the repetitive nature of the breath,
Minds tendency to disengage when things become repetitive,
Or overly familiar.
And reminding ourselves that as similar as this breath may be to the last,
This is a different breath,
A different opportunity to be present.
And there's a real danger with so easily disengaging from the things in our life that seem familiar,
Repetitive,
Easy to take for granted.
So notice when the mind disengages,
Goes searching for something more entertaining,
And coming back,
Checking in.
Where is your attention now?
Sometimes we can feel as our attention drifts,
We notice as it's happening.
Other times we just catch ourselves in the middle of a story with no idea how we got there.
And in either case,
In the moment that we notice,
It's about bringing the attention back.
Starting over again with this breath,
Being with it from the beginning,
Through the body and the transition into the end.
So taking a few deep breaths,
Breathing deep through the nose,
Filling your belly with air,
Not your chest,
Feeling that belly expand,
Holding the breath for just a few seconds,
And slowly exhale.
And then we'll come back to the beginning of the next breath.
So taking a few deep breaths,
Filling your belly with air,
Holding the breath for just a few seconds,
And slowly exhaling.
Deep through the nose,
Down to the belly,
And exhale.
And as you're ready at your own pace,
You can begin to slowly open the eyes if they've been closed.
Taking your time just to let small amounts of light in at a time.
And as you're ready,
Opening all the way back up,
Reconnecting with the space that you're in,
And reconnecting with your day.
