Coming into a comfortable seat to begin your meditation practice.
You might shrug your shoulders,
Settle your hips to invite elongation into your spine.
Taking a soft glance of your body,
Noticing anywhere you might be holding unnecessary tension and see if you could soften it.
Unclenching jaw,
Releasing grip from your body,
Then bringing your focus to your breath.
Noticing where you feel the sensation of breath in your body,
Noticing your breath entering your nostrils,
Traveling down your throat,
Expanding lungs,
And then releasing,
Following your exhale back up and out.
The simple awareness of the breath becomes the anchor for your practice,
Not trying to force or change anything in your breath.
If you notice a pause at the base of an exhale,
You can allow that to happen.
If you notice a pause at the top of an inhale,
Allowing that to happen.
Just inviting an observation of your breath without judgment or expectation.
As your mind wanders,
Inviting it back to the focus of your breath,
Maybe through the sound of your inhales and exhales,
Or the soft sensations in your nostrils and chest.
Lots of thoughts of the past.
Use your inhale to pull into the present.
Lots of thoughts for the future.
Use your exhale to settle back.
As you encourage,
Maintaining a position that's both relaxed and alert,
You may become aware of desire to move or shift.
No need to cultivate pain or push through too much tension,
But the breath can be there can be there to help you exhale,
Releasing tension,
Or invigorating your inhale if you've become too restful.
Continue to stay curious about your breath,
Aware not of time as it passes,
But engrossed in the experience of the breathing,
The sensation in the physical body,
The experiences in the mental body.
As challenge arises or mind drifts,
Reinvigorating,
Maybe smiling to yourself,
Softly taking on the challenge,
The simple,
Not easy practice of present awareness.
Let your breath beckon you back as the anchor of your awareness.
Reset a few moments more.
Keep using the tool of your breath.
Inhales to invigorate,
Exhales to clear out,
Letting go of anything outside of this moment,
And inhaling in the dedication,
Mentally articulating your experience,
Newfound sensations,
Awareness of the breath,
The body,
The mental and physical landscape of yourself during meditation.
As we take the final few moments,
The breath of the practice,
Not cataloging the experience good or bad,
But simply the success of completion.
Releasing to the base of an exhale,
Broadening to the top of an inhale,
And offering a soft sigh,
Beginning to invite your awareness back into your space.
