Welcome to Cool Karma Collected's daily awareness of breath practice.
So for this practice just finding a place where you will be undistracted and you might even choose at this point to turn your phone on to silent.
Finding a chair that is straight-backed or perhaps choosing to sit on the floor.
And then from there just beginning to close your eyes if that feels appropriate for you.
Otherwise just diverting your gaze and making the focus soft.
From there just starting to pay attention to the fact that you're breathing.
This might be the first time today that you've really noticed your breath.
And so just tuning into the breath.
It might feel appropriate for you to take a few really deep breaths.
Breathing in through your nose and maybe even sighing out through your mouth.
Just allowing yourself to really arrive.
You might try and lengthen your exhalation.
Just allowing for this short reset in your day.
And then when you feel comfortable doing so just letting go of any control of the breath and instead just allowing your attention to alight on the breath.
So that might be that you draw all of your attention just to the sensation of air as it enters in through the nose and a short while later as it leaves.
Or maybe what's most vivid for you is the sensation of the rising and falling of the belly or the chest.
Whatever sensation you choose to focus on is completely okay.
Just choosing one and beginning to draw all of your attention there.
Seeing if you can follow the entire cycle of the breath.
Breathing in to the full length of the inhalation.
Noticing that short moment when inhalation moves to exhalation.
And then following the exhalation all the way back.
Breathing in following the inhalation.
Breathing out following the exhalation.
And in this way we don't even need to worry about the last breath or the next breath.
We're just simply allowing ourselves to be right here for this breath,
This moment.
And just following each breath as best as you can.
Just working moment by moment and breath by breath.
And sooner or later you'll notice that the mind has drifted.
Maybe it's moved on to all the myriad of things you need to do in the rest of your day.
Or maybe it's focused on something that you've done earlier today that you wish were different.
But whenever you notice that the mind has started to drift from our focus of attention which is on the breath,
Just recognising that you've noticed that the attention is wandered and remembering that that's the practice,
That's what we want to be doing,
Is just the noticing.
And then as best as you can just firmly but kindly drawing your attention back to this next inhalation,
This next exhalation because along with the thinking there's also this breath right in this moment.
Remembering there's no particular state we're trying to achieve in this practice or way we're trying to be.
The way you are right now is perfect.
So simply just sitting here breathing,
Noticing when the mind drifts off and firmly but kindly drawing your attention back when you notice that it's drifted.
And just working in this way over and over.
Trying not to get frustrated at the nature of the mind remembering that that's what minds do.
The practice is not in trying to empty the mind but simply showing up for what's here in any given moment.
So just sitting,
Breathing,
Being.
Working moment by moment.
And in the last few moments of practice if you noticed that the attention has waned or the mind has wandered,
Just gently drawing it back again and simply setting an intention to be right here for this inhalation.
Right here for this exhalation.
Just this inhalation right at the passage of air of the nostrils.
Just this exhalation.
Just this inhalation.
Just this exhalation.
And as best as you can just working breath by breath and moment by moment until you hear the sound of the bell.
