For this mindful breathing meditation,
I invite you to sit on a comfortable chair or a firm sofa that allows you to keep the back straight and upright.
Even if you are an experienced meditator,
You can sit on a chair and allow your back to rest against the chair to avoid as much physical tension as possible.
This is because more than a meditation,
This is a simple form of relaxation using the breath.
You can try it at any time and anywhere,
Whenever you are dealing with tension or anxiety.
Now that you found a comfortable chair,
Try to sit with your hips far back so that the sacrum and the back are supported by the back of the chair.
You can keep the hands on your lap,
Perhaps interlocking the fingers if you wish.
Just make yourself very comfortable,
Keeping the body relaxed with the back resting against the chair,
But try to sit upright.
Gently,
You can close the eyes.
Now bring your awareness to your body,
Be aware of your whole body,
Be aware of the meeting points between the body and the chair.
Feel the weight of your body pressing against the chair.
Feel your back supported by the chair.
Be aware of your feet resting on the ground.
Allow the whole body to relax.
Moving the awareness towards your breath,
Notice how your belly expands as you breathe in.
Notice how the belly contracts as you breathe out.
There is no movement on the chest,
No movement on the shoulders.
Keeping the belly relaxed,
Allow it to expand and contract freely with each breath.
If you are experiencing strong anxiety or stress at the moment,
Just allow whatever physical symptoms you feel to be there.
Don't try to suppress them,
Resist them or avoid them in any way.
Be fully aware of how your body feels,
But continue observing the natural breath.
Inhale,
The belly expands,
Exhale,
The belly contracts,
Slow relaxed breathing.
Remember,
You are not doing the breath,
You are not forcing the breath and you are not trying to take full breaths.
You are simply observing the natural flow of the breath,
But with the intention to allow the breath to slow down,
To allow the breath to become very soft,
Smooth,
Silent and continuous.
Breathe in and out through the nostrils,
Slow inhalation,
Slow exhalation,
The breath at times might feel agitated,
Restricted or even erratic.
This is completely normal.
Do not worry about this,
Just continue observing the breath with the intention to allow the breath to slow down,
To allow the breath to relax.
Inhale,
The belly expands,
Exhale,
The belly contracts,
To help the mind stay present with the breath,
We can add a mental repetition.
As you breathe in mentally,
You can repeat in or inhale.
As you breathe out mentally,
You can repeat out or exhale.
There is absolutely nothing else to do than simply observing the movement of the breath while mentally repeating in or inhale,
Out or exhale.
Keeping the body relaxed and the breath is completely natural and effortless.
As you breathe in,
The belly expands,
As you breathe out,
The belly contracts,
There is no movement on the chest,
No movement on the shoulders,
Only the belly is moving in and out according to the movement of the breath.
As you breathe in,
The belly is moving in and out according to the movement of the breath.
Whenever you notice the mind is distracted,
Gently bring the mind back to the breath awareness,
Mentally repeating inhale as you breathe in,
Exhale as you breathe out.
As you breathe in,
The body is moving in and out according to the movement of the breath.
As you breathe in,
The body is moving in and out according to the movement of the breath.
Now bring the awareness back to your body,
Trying to maintain this relaxed state of being.
Slowly bring the palms of the hands together in front of the heart,
Spreading the benefits of this practice in all directions and for all beings.
May all beings be happy,
May all beings be free from illness,
May all see what's positive and beautiful and may all be free from suffering.
Aum,
Peace,
Peace,
Peace.
Slowly,
Slowly you can open the eyes.
