We will begin our meditation today in a seated position.
Any seat that feels comfortable for you,
Whether it be on a chair or on the floor or any other surface is perfectly fine.
As you arrive comfortably in your seat,
You may choose to close your eyes or gently rest your gaze anywhere that feels comfortable and safe.
Allow a feeling of ease to rest in your body.
Notice the parts of you that are non-moving.
Your legs,
Feet,
Arms,
Hands,
Eyes and lips.
Allow the stillness to begin to ground you down,
To begin to draw you further into this present moment.
And then notice the parts of you that are moving.
The movements that are associated with the breath.
The movements of the belly,
Of the chest,
Maybe even the slight motion of the shoulders with each in-breath and out-breath.
The small movements of the nostrils as you breathe in and out through the nose.
Understanding how each of these motions,
Some bigger,
Some smaller,
Are part of this larger process of the breath.
Moving in and out of our bodies,
Most times without even our effort or our awareness.
These things that are always happening but rarely ever with our attention.
I invite you to choose one or more of these sensations of breath to use as an anchor,
As a way to keep you tied to this moment.
I also invite you to explore the level of detail at which you can witness the breath.
What are all of the levels of experience at which you can tune into this process?
What is the most nuanced level of detail that you can tune into here?
It could be temperature.
It could be the sensations of the skin stretching and retracting with each in and out breath.
It could be the way each round of breath very gently affects the posture of the body.
It could be the cadence or the rhythm of the breath.
Perhaps it's depth.
Maybe even its path as it travels through your nose,
Throat and lungs.
Perhaps it's the way each breath travels through your nose,
Throat and lungs.
You may find that the closer attention you pay,
The more there is to pay attention to.
When the mind wanders,
Which it will,
Notice the sensation of breath again with the knowledge that this sensation is so nuanced that we are never lacking something to learn about this breath.
You may notice after focusing on the breath for some time that other elements of the experience have changed as well.
Maybe the state of the mind.
Maybe sensations in the body.
Some of these new existing or past sensations may be pleasant.
Some may be unpleasant.
In meditation,
We do not demand anything of our experience.
We experience without expectation.
We become very sensitive to all that already exists within the moment and within the breath.
Take a few more moments of silence.
Remaining curious about this breath and the next breath and the next.
As you feel ready,
You can blink open your eyes.
Reorient yourself to the setting around you and move forward with your day or evening with the knowledge that this breath is always here as an option to turn your attention to.
With curiosity and without judgment.
