We're going to begin today by establishing a comfortable position.
One in which you are both relaxed and alert.
So take a few minutes and get comfortable.
And whenever you're ready,
You may close your eyes.
If there's any obvious areas of tightness or tension in the body that you can easily release,
Do so and take a few deep breaths.
Perhaps filling your body with a feeling of kindness.
And like a half smile.
Through each breath,
Filling the body and releasing.
Now bring your attention to the fact of your body breathing.
Realizing that it is always breathing naturally on its own.
And as we pay attention on purpose,
Noticing where it's easiest to feel the breath.
It might be the coolness you feel in your nostrils on the in-breath.
Or the warmth on the upper lip on the out-breath.
Or maybe you sense a swirling or a tingling in the back of the throat.
You might be the rise and the fall of your chest or your belly.
Or it might simply be the sensations of your whole body breathing.
Whenever you find the breath easiest to feel or is most pleasant,
Resting your kind attention here,
Wherever that is.
And if the breath is subtle or difficult to feel,
You can place your hand on your belly or your chest.
And feel the rise and the fall in the palm of your hand as you are breathing.
It's a beautiful way to stay with your breath and connect with your breath physically.
Now let yourself feel the next three in and out breaths.
And as you feel each breath,
Let the mind calm and the body relax.
And as you take a few more breaths,
Bringing your attention back and forth from the experience of the in-breath to the experience of the out-breath.
Continuing with this in a relaxed and calming attention on the breath.
Remember that you can make an adjustment to your posture if you need to,
With the intention of staying with your breath as you do.
Each time the attention wanders and you notice,
Gently bring it back.
Like the pendulum,
Allow it to swing back to the present moment,
Gently returning your attention with no judgment of where it has been.
Allow yourself to kindly return.
This breath right now.
This breath right now.
This breath right now.
In working with the breath,
If it's helpful,
You can notice the beginning,
The middle,
And the ending of each in-breath or out-breath.
The beginning,
The middle,
And the ending of each rise and fall.
You might then notice the space between breaths resting and relaxing within the breathing itself.
Each breath arising and passing with a mindful awareness.
As you feel into each breath,
Let the mind calm and the body relax.
Let the mind calm and the body relax.
Fully here.
Weak and at ease.
Whenever you're ready,
You may open your eyes.
