Find a posture that supports calm and focus for your practice.
Close your eyes.
Take three slow full breaths.
Return to your natural breathing rhythm.
Notice the sensation of your breath as it follows its cycle.
In through the nose,
Down the throat,
Expanding the lungs,
Pressing into the belly,
Releasing the belly,
Expelling the lungs,
Up through the throat and out through the nose.
Stay with the sensation of this rhythm in a gentle yet focused way.
Notice the variety of qualities from breath to breath,
Fast or slow,
Deep or shallow,
Coarse or subtle.
The thinking mind will naturally stray into thought forms about either the past,
The present or the future.
When you catch the mind naturally straying into thought forms,
Gently return your awareness to the flow of the breath.
Keeping the wandering mind and refocusing it strengthens our capacity for mindfulness.
Once you've returned to the breath,
Stay as focused as possible for as long as possible,
Yet in a gentle way.
Notice that your experience will either be perceived as pleasant,
Unpleasant or neutral.
There's no right or wrong sensation or reaction to this practice.
Simply observe what happens.
Observe the nature of your mind as you practice.
After some time,
Let go of the technique and finish with another three slow,
Full breaths.
Then return to your natural breathing rhythm and open your eyes when you're ready.
