
Mindfulness Of Breath Meditation Practice
by Nat Heath
This meditation will guide you through the 4 stages of the Mindfulness of Breath practice. There is soft background music to aid relaxation and interval bells. Spacious pauses allow for you to practice peacefully after receiving instructions for each stage. You are gently guided out of the practice with a blessing and 3 bells. This is a fundamental meditation practice in Buddhism and is helpful for cultivating presence and peace - on and off the mat.
Transcript
Mindfulness of Breath Meditation Practice This mindfulness meditation helps us to develop clarity,
Focus and awareness both during meditation and in our daily lives.
The practice has four stages.
I will give a short introduction to each stage and then I will be silent so that you can practice peacefully.
I will ring a bell to signal the end of the stage and the transition to the next.
So begin by making yourself as comfortable as you can at this moment.
Whether you are sitting on a chair or meditation cushion or lying down.
Ensure your spine is straight and your shoulders are relaxed.
Bring your awareness now onto your breath.
There is no need to alter the breath in any way.
Just watch it as it enters and exits your body.
To begin the first stage of the practice,
Count your breath silently from 1 to 10.
Say each number in your mind at the end of each exhalation.
So you inhale,
Exhale and count 1.
Inhale,
Exhale,
2 and so on up to 10.
When you have counted to 10,
Begin again at 1.
If you lose count,
That's okay.
Simply begin again at 1.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell signalling the transition into the next stage,
Which I will explain.
So beginning the first stage now,
Counting your breaths 1 to 10 at the end of each exhalation.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell signalling the transition into the next stage,
Which I will explain.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell signalling the transition into the next stage,
Which I will explain.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell signalling the transition into the next stage,
Which I will explain.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
Moving into the second stage now.
We are still counting the breaths 1 to 10,
But this time we will mark each breath by counting at the beginning of the inhalation.
In other words,
You are anticipating each breath.
Whilst in the previous stage you may have felt more calm,
This stage is more active and engaging.
So in your mind,
Immediately before your inhalation,
You count 1,
Then you inhale and exhale.
Then you count 2,
Inhale,
Exhale,
All the way to 10.
Then beginning again at 1.
And as before,
If you lose count or your mind wanders,
Do not worry.
Simply begin again at 1.
Again I will be silent and ring the bell to signal the third stage.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
On to the third stage now.
In this stage we will drop the count in and bring our awareness to the natural flow of the breath.
Feel the air moving into your lungs,
Expanding your belly and your chest and leaving your body again.
This brings a calm refinement to the practice.
And when your mind wanders,
Please do not worry,
It's completely normal.
Simply realise that this has happened.
Remember that you are practising mindfulness meditation and return your awareness to your experience of your breath.
Again I'll be silent and ring the bell for the fourth stage.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
I will be silent for the rest of the first stage and you will hear a bell sound.
For the fourth and last stage,
You will sharpen your focus to the point where the air enters and exits your body.
This is likely to be the tips of your nostrils if you are breathing through your nose.
But if that's not possible for you and you need to breathe through your mouth,
You can focus on the air entering your throat instead.
Being aware of the sensation of the air coming in and out of your nose or throat.
Is there a difference between the inhalation and the exhalation?
In the temperature of the air or the sensation?
Or perhaps there's a subtle difference in the energy or emotion between the two.
Again,
When your mind wanders,
No problem.
Simply realise that this has happened.
Remember that you are practising mindfulness meditation.
And return your awareness to your experience of your breath at the point of entry and exit.
Once again you have space for practice and then I will ring the bell to guide you out of the practice and share the final blessing.
Thank you for watching!
Copyright © 2020 Mooji Media Ltd.
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this recording may be reproduced without Mooji Media Ltd.
's express consent.
No part of this recording may be reproduced without Mooji Media Ltd.
's express consent.
Copyright © 2020 Mooji Media Ltd.
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this recording may be reproduced without Mooji Media Ltd.
's express consent.
Opening your awareness out to your experience of your whole body now.
Letting go of all effort you have been making and sink into stillness.
Bringing your palms together at your heart centre.
Bringing your chin to your chest to bow to your heart centre.
Bringing your hands to your forehead.
May you have purity of thought.
To your lips,
May you have purity of speech.
And back to your heart centre.
May you have purity in your heart and loving kindness for all beings.
Om Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
May threefold peace be with you.
Namaste.
4.7 (455)
Recent Reviews
Katy
June 26, 2025
A beautiful mindful breath practice to start my day. Thank you 🙏☀️.
Andy
February 21, 2025
Good guidance and I liked the music. It is nice to have a guided meditation that ends properly and takes you out of the practice. I liked the blessing at the end.
Brett
January 6, 2025
Liked it. I don't usually do guided meditation, I do silent meditation mostly, but I'll likely do more. Thank you
Carolyn
September 14, 2024
This is simple, guided practice. It's clear and easy to follow making it perfect for many repetitions. I appreciate the blessing at the end. 🙏🕊
Howard
July 5, 2024
Thank you for your skillful guidance. May you be well, happy and peaceful 🙏
Eric
October 18, 2023
Absolutely perfect meditation guide, content, cadence and background ambient music!! Thank you so very much!!
Martha
July 26, 2023
Very nice meditation! Thank you!
Robert
June 22, 2023
All the peace in the world to you…
Chance
June 8, 2023
May you be Happy Be Healthy Be Safe May you Be Loved by All Namaste 🙏🏼
Bob
April 21, 2023
Wonderful experience Thank you so much
Cholena
March 22, 2023
Very clear and succinct. Loved the quiet time to practice.
Gin
January 24, 2023
Fast becoming my favorite teacher
Marissa
December 26, 2022
Great meditation. Clear guidance followed by space to practice for each stage. Nice to get re-grounded in the basics of mindfulness breathwork, and this was a perfect way to do it.
Magdalena
September 14, 2022
Haven’t sat in a long time and this was a wonderful entry back in. Tears in my eyes. I missed this. Thank you.
Janice
August 27, 2022
Lovely
Paramita
June 18, 2022
Clear but sparse guidance, a lot of room for practice.
Mimi
June 7, 2022
Lovely
Steve
June 7, 2022
Lovely. Many thanks.
Marit
April 25, 2022
Perfect 💚🌻 Would love an extended version as well ☺
MelissA
April 12, 2022
Thank you for this guided meditation
