I invite you to take a comfortable seated position wherever you are.
Perhaps you are at home,
In your office,
Maybe you are on the train to work,
Or maybe you are still in bed,
Whether it be morning or night.
Just take these few minutes to sit down and commit to focusing on the present moment.
If you can sit up straight in your environment right now,
Please do that.
Make sure your back is erect but not rigid.
Allow your shoulders to gently fall away from your ears.
Allow your jaw to relax,
Your belly to relax.
And gently let your eyes close.
Now focus on the breath as it flows in and out of your nostrils naturally.
Don't attempt to deepen it or hold it.
Simply allow it to flow in and out as it normally would.
But this time you're observing.
You're observing every detail of how it feels when the air comes in and out of your nostrils.
Is it coming through the right nostril?
Is it coming through the left nostril?
Is it coming through both?
Is there perspiration on your upper lip?
Is there a tingling sensation?
Does the air feel cold or hot?
Pretend you are a scientist making very detailed observations on every single sensation that happens in and around your nostrils as you breathe normally.
How does that breath feel?
And when you feel your mind wander to something else,
Gently bring it back to the breath,
Back to making those very detailed observations.
No judgments.
If your breathing is shallow,
It's shallow.
If it's deep,
It's deep.
However you may be breathing,
There's nothing wrong with it.
You are an impartial scientist simply observing,
Simply observing and taking impartial note of every single sensation that arises with your natural flow of respiration.
Continue to observe.
Observe.
Observe.
You may feel other sensations in your body.
Perhaps there are noises going on around you that are distracting.
And maybe your thoughts seem incredibly difficult to ignore.
You're worrying about something that you need to do later today.
Or maybe you're thinking about something that happened already.
It's okay,
This is natural.
Do not push any of these distractions away.
Do not push away any pain you feel in your body.
Do not push away any sounds you hear outside.
Do not push away any thoughts or anxieties that you're having.
Simply accept them all as they are and gently,
Patiently continue bringing your attention back to the breath.
Back to the breath.
Every detailed sensation you feel.
If you feel no sensation,
Do not criticize.
You're a good scientist.
Take the impartial note.
I feel no sensation in and around my nostrils as I breathe.
Then just keep breathing.
Perhaps then you notice that the air feels a bit cold or hot or there is tingling or your nose is a little stuffed up.
Whatever it may be.
Observe,
Observe,
Observe.
The mind wanders,
Let it go and observe,
Observe,
Observe.
You are here now.
The past does not exist.
The future does not exist.
Here is only right now.
And coming back to your breath is a tool,
A tool,
A tool to help you be here now.
There is no limitations to when you can use this tool.
Any time throughout your day,
You can be here now.
Focusing on the sensations,
On the natural flow of respiration as it travels in and out.
You are the observer of your body.
You are the observer of your mind.
Bring it back to the breath,
Back to the breath,
Back to the breath.
Now you may slowly open your eyes and look around the space you're in right now.
Peacefully and impartially observing your environment.
Come back into it.
Be here in your day.
Be here now.
