Mindful breathing.
Adapted from Thich Nhat Hanh's short teaching on mindfulness of breathing.
Take a moment to find a comfortable seat,
Either on a chair or perhaps sitting on a cushion in the floor.
As your body settles and your eyes close,
Bring your awareness to your breathing.
Notice the breath coming in and the breath going out.
Follow the breath with your awareness.
Follow the breath all the way in and follow the breath all the way out,
Not trying to change it in any way.
Simply breathing in and breathing out.
Breathing in,
Feeling the breath as it passes through your nostrils.
Breathing out,
Feeling the breath as it leaves your nostrils.
Just keeping your awareness lightly and gently on your breath.
Breathing mindfully in the present moment.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
If thoughts come as they always do,
Just simply acknowledge the thoughts without judging them.
Imagine that they're just drifting away like clouds floating across the sky.
And bring your awareness back to your breath,
Back to your breathing,
Back to the present moment.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Each time your attention moves away from the breath,
Distracted by a thought about something you have to do,
Or maybe something that's bothering you or worrying you,
Just simply notice that thought.
Acknowledge it.
See if you can let it go.
And bring your attention back,
Back to the breath,
Back to the present moment.
Letting your full awareness beyond the breath as it comes in,
As it goes out.
Noticing the familiar rhythm of the breath.
Breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I calm my mind.
When you bring your awareness to the breath in this way,
You're connecting the mind and the body in the present moment.
The word for breath and the word for spirit in many languages is the same.
So bringing your awareness to your breath can connect your mind,
Your body,
And your spirit in the present moment.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment.
Continue to mindfully breathe in this way for as long as you like,
Following the breath all the way in,
And then noticing the slight pause at the turning point as the in-breath becomes the out-breath.
And then following the breath all the way out and noticing the brief pause at the turning point as the out-breath becomes the in-breath.
Aware of the steady familiar rhythm of the breath.
Remain in silence for a short while longer.
As we bring this meditation to an end,
Keeping your eyes closed for just a little while longer,
Take a moment to notice how you're feeling,
The state of the body right now,
Your mind.
And if you like,
You can offer gratitude for this time you've taken for yourself to breathe,
To be still,
Quiet,
To bring yourself back into balance.
This is an act of self-care.
Be aware of your body where you're sitting.
Be aware of the sounds in the room,
The sounds outside the room.
Slowly coming back into the room and opening your eyes whenever you're ready.
