Mindfulness of breathing.
Anapanasati.
Begin with a comfortable posture.
Begin the meditation by reflecting on your aspiration.
Do you have a simple aspiration to achieve happiness and peace of mind?
Do you have the medium aspiration to achieve complete freedom from suffering?
And do you have the highest aspiration to achieve freedom from suffering for the benefit of all living beings?
When you're ready,
Bring the mind inwards and rest your awareness on the breath.
More specifically,
Begin to experience the sensations of the breath at the nostrils.
As you inhale,
The cool air coming in.
As you exhale,
The warm air passing out.
Begin to rest the mind on one point.
Let the mind settle and come to rest.
With each inhalation,
Let the awareness become more subtle,
More clear,
And more refined.
Begin to deepen the breath process,
Allowing the breath to enter into the dive rim.
Deepening the breath,
Slowing it down.
Release any tension on the out-breath.
On the in-breath,
Imagine taking in revitalizing,
Rejuvenating breath energy.
Calming you down,
Making you clear and present-centered.
Once you've noticed you've been distracted,
Bring the awareness back without delay.
If you're extremely restless and the mind is wandering,
We can begin counting,
Using the numbers to further tether the mind to the breath.
Count on each inhalation from one to ten.
Begin on your next inhalation.
If you get distracted,
Begin again with an attitude of discipline and care.
Here,
With mindfulness on the breath,
Create a present-centered awareness,
Keeping the mind open,
Clear,
And stable in the now.
When the mind wanders into fantasy,
Use discipline to correct yourself and come back to the breath.
When the mind wanders into remorse and regret,
Use care,
Gentleness,
Friendliness,
And come back to the breath.
Recognize that our minds have been out of control due to our inability to steady and focus our awareness.
Letting go of thoughts,
Letting go of feelings,
Letting go of sensations,
Letting go of the past,
Letting go of the future,
Coming back to the breath as you experience it at the nostrils in the present moment.
Even for a fleeting moment,
Let the mind become still and centered and calm and stable.
Once you've been distracted,
Come back to the breath,
The safe mother,
The present-centered comfort of your awareness.
Begin to feel more friendly in your body.
Let the mind relax.
Be at ease.
You can slow the disturbances in the mind by giving awareness an anchor,
Letting the ripples of memory and anticipation begin to settle with your subtle awareness of the in-and-out breath process.
The mind's natural tendency is to chase and avoid,
Attaching to pleasant memories,
Future anticipations,
Fantasy,
Daydream,
Avoiding negative memories,
Feelings of remorse associated with the past.
Let go of all of these by coming back to the present moment and the experience of the breath at the nostrils.
When the body feels at ease,
The mind will also begin to feel at ease.
Once your mind is centered and present and still,
Notice if you become more peaceful and calm and tranquil.
As we wind down this meditation,
Take a moment to reflect on your dedication.
This is an opportunity to commit any moment's insight,
Peace of mind,
Clarity,
Or happiness to your ongoing study,
Reflection,
And practice.
