Hi,
I'm Melissa from Meditation for Regular People and thank you for meditating with me today.
Today we're coming home to our breath.
Being with your breath is a fundamental meditation skill,
Which is why every teacher teaches it over and over.
It's simple but not easy,
Which is why we call it a practice.
We'll sit together today with the intention of learning how to come back to your breath again and again,
Really coming home to your own breath.
You don't have to believe in anything to come home to your breath.
Your breath is always with you.
It's always accessible and your breath will welcome you back to it every time you make the choice to return to your breath and come home.
Find a place to sit or recline where you can take some time to yourself.
It's important for your position to be comfortable but still allow you to be alert.
Find a relaxing place that allows you to focus.
When you feel settled,
Direct as much of your attention as you can to my voice.
Take in a deep breath and invite your eyes to float closed.
Rest your hands in an easy,
Effortless way.
Place your feet where you feel most connected to your space.
Take some slow breaths and scan through your body,
Softening and releasing any places you might be tight.
If there are any places you find obvious tension,
Breathe into them.
Take time and allow your body to settle.
There are many possible places to rest our attention.
Today we'll be exploring resting your attention on your breath and treating it as a coming home.
Begin with the practice of coming back to our breath.
So invite your breath to flow naturally and simply notice where you can feel it clearly,
Where it feels pleasant or neutral.
You might find it's your breath flowing in and out through your nose,
The subtle differences between the coolness of your breath flowing in and the slight warmth of your breath flowing out.
Let's sit for a minute or two and focus on that breath flowing in and out of your nose,
Exploring how it feels.
If you begin to wander away or something becomes more important than your breath flowing in and out of your nose,
Nudge your attention back and come home to your breath in your nose.
Let's sit a minute or two.
Who is anybody?
You you you Just explore how your breath feels flowing in your chest and find all those little places where your breath is moving When something becomes more interesting than your breath flowing through your chest just gently bring yourself back to home to your breath and your chest And begin again Let's sit for a few minutes blowing your breath into your chest and Bringing it back home into your chest you you you you Now let's sink your breath into your belly and feel how it expands and contracts Maybe you can feel your navel slightly move Or feel your belly fill and deflate like a balloon Bring your breath home into your belly and see how that feels hold a very relaxed attentiveness and explore how your breath feels in your belly Imagine that you're receiving your breath into your belly and welcome it home There's no need to force or control your breath take it in much like you would take in a pleasant sound Let's sit for a few minutes bringing your breath home into your belly you you you Let's open your awareness and flow your breath through the top of your head all the way down to your toes Discover and explore what your breath feels like flowing all the way through your body Bring your breath home from the top of your head all the way to the soles of your feet Your breath is your home base and you can find it anytime Let's sit for about 10 minutes and experience your breath relax as your breath flows in Relax gently as your breath flows out Notice the experience of your sensations and where your attention lands You might find yourself drifting away into thoughts or plans and when you notice just come home to your breath in your body flow it from the top of your head to the soles of your feet and Welcome your breath home in your body Let's begin You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You Begin to be aware of the sounds around you The room where you're sitting in the world around you Might want to wiggle your fingers and toes And let yourself become aware of the room slowly Let's take a long slow deep breath in together And slowly let that go Let's take another long slow deep breath in together And gently release it Thank you for your practice today,
Thank you for shifting the world by shifting yourself This is how we change the world One breath at a time One sit at a time one person at a time Keep breathing
