Mindfulness of the breath.
Settling into a comfortable posture.
This practice is often done seated,
But if you would like to lie down,
That's no problem at all.
Allowing the head and the neck to be supported in an upright,
Dignified posture.
Tuning in to the sensations of the feet on the floor.
Expanding the awareness to the rest of the body.
Gently closing the eyes if you haven't already done so.
Exploring the sensations of contact between you and whatever the body is resting on.
Bringing the awareness to the breath.
Exploring the gentle stretches of the abdomen as the body breathes in and out.
Noticing the physical sensations of the body breathing at your pace as it is now.
Exploring the changing patterns of the breath as it breathes in and out of the body.
Perhaps placing a hand on the abdomen to notice the sensations moving up and down with each breath.
Returning the hand to the side of the body and continuing to notice the gentle stretching of the sensations of breathing in the abdomen.
And when you notice that your mind has wandered,
Congratulating yourself for becoming aware of this.
It doesn't matter how many times the mind wanders,
Using this as an opportunity to bring it back to the sensations of breathing.
Bringing the attention back to the abdomen as gently and as kindly as you can.
There's no need to change the breath.
Following the breath as it is now.
Perhaps following an in breath.
Then following an out breath.
Exploring the sensations as the body breathes in and out.
Remembering that the intention of this practice isn't to get anywhere.
There's nowhere to be.
Apart from being with the breath right now.
It may be possible to notice the slight pause between the in and the out breath.
Allowing any mind wandering to be an opportunity to practice patience and kindness with yourself.
Knowing that this is what minds do.
When you've noticed your mind wandering,
You've brought your attention back to the breath.
Perhaps being curious about the sensations of breathing.
Noticing where you feel the breath most clearly.
This may be in the nostrils.
Perhaps the temperature changing as the breath moves in and out.
It may be noticeable in the chest.
Following the sensations that are here for you as you breathe in and out.
Perhaps if the mind wanders,
You may notice,
Ah,
That's thinking,
That's planning.
Congratulating yourself for noticing and bringing the attention back to the breath.
And as we move towards the end of this practice,
Tuning in to the contact of the body with whatever it is resting on.
Allowing the eyes to gently open.
Want to stretch in whatever way feels most helpful to you.
