Welcome to this 20-minute awareness of breath practice.
As you prepare for this practice,
Finding a comfortable posture,
Sitting on a chair or a cushion,
Or lying down.
If sitting,
Keeping your spine straight but not stiff,
Allowing the shoulders to soften,
Hands resting comfortably in your lap or on the legs.
Finding a position that supports remaining alert and awake,
And allowing the body to become still.
Perhaps setting the intention to simply be,
To let go of whatever came before,
And what may follow this practice period.
Closing your eyes if it feels comfortable,
Or softening them,
Focusing your gaze at an area a few feet in front of you.
Bringing awareness to breathing.
Breathing normally and naturally,
Aware of the sensation of breath.
Wherever you sense it most prominently in the body.
This could be at the nostrils,
Throat,
Chest,
Belly,
Or the totality of the body.
Beginning now to bring your full attention to this point of focus.
Without the belly,
Feeling it rise and expand gently on the in-breath,
And fall or recede on the out-breath.
Perhaps finding it helpful to rest a hand on the belly to better focus or anchor your attention in the body.
Or at the nostrils,
Sensing warm air leaving the body,
Cool air entering the body.
If you're finding attending to the breath or the body challenging,
Or not your preference,
Inviting compassion,
Curiosity,
And choice to your preferred anchor.
This could be sound,
Keeping the eyes open,
Gazing and orienting on a particular visual,
Or sensing contact of the body,
A sense of touch with the surface or with itself.
When directed to the breath,
Simply return to your chosen anchor.
Getting the focus on your breathing,
Being with the full duration of the in-breath and the full duration of the out-breath.
Bringing the breath into the body and following the breath out of the body.
Breathing in,
Aware of the breath coming in.
Going out,
Aware of the breath going out as it's happening moment by moment.
Breathing in,
Aware of the breath coming out as it's happening moment by moment.
Breathing in,
Aware of the breath coming out as it's happening moment by moment.
Simply practicing.
Tending to the cycle of breath.
Breathing in,
Knowing that you're breathing in.
Breathing out,
Knowing that you are breathing out.
Breathing more.
No need to visualize,
Count.
Think about,
Figure out or control the breath in any way.
Being mindful of this natural process,
The felt sense of the body,
Breathing.
Noticing itself without judgment,
Feeling the breath ebb and flow.
There's no place to go,
Nothing else to do.
Just being here in this moment and noticing breathing.
Breathing in,
Aware of the breath coming out as it's happening moment by moment.
Breathing out,
Knowing that you are breathing out.
You may have noticed that your mind has wandered from the breath.
This is natural.
The mind is built to wander.
Every time you notice that your mind has wandered off the breath,
Acknowledge what it was that took it away.
A thought,
Memory,
Emotion,
Sensation,
Sound,
And then gently bring your attention back to your present moment anchor.
Breath,
Body,
Sound.
Noticing acknowledging mind wandering and kindly and gently bringing it back.
Bringing your attention each time it wanders.
Breathing out,
Knowing that you are breathing out.
If your mind wanders away from the breath a thousand times,
Returning with compassion to the intention,
Bringing attention back every time,
No matter what the mind becomes preoccupied with.
Breathing out,
Knowing that you are breathing out.
Breathing out,
Knowing that you are breathing out.
Breathing out,
Knowing that you are breathing out.
Just breathing.
Breathing back again and again.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Where is the mind noticing,
Acknowledging,
Gently and firmly coming back to the present moment.
Anchoring in breath,
Body,
Sound.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
As you come to the end of this meditation practice,
Perhaps thanking yourself for making and taking the time to be present.
Knowing that doing so is an act of self-compassion and love.
Thank you.
