Breathing practice,
Adapted from Jack Kornfield's mindfulness of the breath.
Beginning by establishing a posture in which you feel both alert and relaxed.
With the back straight,
But not rigid,
Dynamic like a blade of grass,
And feet planted firmly on the floor.
If you are aware of any tension in your body that you can easily release,
Do so.
With eyes closed or open softly on the floor in front of you,
Relax the face.
If you like,
You can roll the head to release the neck and let the head find an upright that feels comfortable.
Relax the shoulders and let the arms and hands rest easily,
Either on your legs or in your lap.
Allow the belly to relax.
Moving awareness now to the breath.
We're not trying to control the breath or do anything differently,
We're simply bringing awareness to the process of breathing.
Feel how the breath breathes itself.
Beneath all the waves of thoughts,
Sounds,
Feelings and sensations,
The body breathes itself,
Uninterrupted.
Notice where it's easiest to feel the breath.
Perhaps the nostrils,
The very subtle movement of air into and out of the body at the tip of your nose.
Perhaps the rise and fall of the chest or belly as you inhale and exhale.
If the breath is difficult to feel,
You can place your hand on your belly and feel the breath moving in and out of the body in the palm of your hand.
Or you can sense the whole body breathing itself,
Expanding as you breathe in and contracting as you breathe out.
So resting your attention on the part of the body where it's easiest to feel the breath,
Where it feels most comfortable to you.
If you notice the attention has wandered,
Gently invite it back to the breath with kindness,
No judgement.
If it's helpful,
You can notice the beginning,
The middle,
And the end of the in-breath as you inhale,
And the beginning,
The middle and the end of the out-breath as you exhale,
And the pause in between breaths.
Becoming really curious about this natural process of breathing.
Focusing on the breath in a way that feels most comfortable to you,
Bringing your full awareness to this breath.
If you notice the breath is moving in and out of the body,
You can notice the breath is moving in and out of the body.
Every time the attention gets carried away by thoughts,
Emotions,
Sounds or sensations,
We just notice that and gently bring our attention back with kindness and no judgement.
Perhaps even a sense of humour.
Oh,
There it goes again.
Back to the breath,
Anchor to the present moment,
And the peace and calm we find there.
Resting there with the breath,
There is no right or wrong,
Simply noticing our experience and returning to the breath.
Being conscious of each breath,
You are in the present moment,
You are cultivating your mindfulness.
Thank you for watching!
