This is the recording for the kindfulness of the breath meditation.
So finding your comfortable,
Dignified posture.
And as an act of self kindness,
Really taking the time to make any necessary adjustments so that you can be settled and comfortable for the duration of the practice.
To help you get settled,
Taking a few deeper breaths.
A longer,
Deeper in breath,
Taking fresh air into the body.
And a longer,
Slower out breath,
Bringing a real sense of release,
Of letting go.
So taking another couple of breaths in this way.
The refreshing in breath and the releasing out breath.
And then letting the breath return to normal.
And starting by really establishing the firm foundation of your posture.
Feeling into the points of contact between the body and whatever is supporting you.
The weight of your body pressing down.
And the support of the ground and the cushion or chair pushing up from beneath you.
Holding your weight.
From this firm foundation of the lower half of the body,
A sense of the spine rising up with an alignment between the vertebrae of the back and of the neck and the back of the head.
And then just scanning down the front of the body from head to feet.
Accepting whatever tension can be released at this time and accepting whatever remains.
Softening the body.
Settling into the posture.
And as part of setting up the posture,
See if it is comfortable to rest your mouth with a trace of a smile on your lips.
A gentle smile that symbolizes your intention to meet your experience with openness and acceptance.
And to be patient and kind with yourself.
Next turning your attention to the breath.
Just resting your awareness on the natural gentle breath.
Going into and out of the body of its own accord.
So either a general sense of the breath in the whole body or choosing a place within the body to observe it.
The nose,
The throat,
The chest or the belly.
Really welcoming each breath and getting as close to it as you can.
Getting it all the way in and then all the way out to the body.
One breath cycle after another.
This miraculous breath that has been with you all your life.
The in breath,
The out breath and the pauses between the breaths.
Preservative awareness of the whole breath cycle of each and every breath.
And whenever you notice that you have strayed from the breath which will likely happen again and again,
Then without fuss or judgment,
Gently and tenderly escorting your awareness back to the breath.
Using this as an opportunity to cultivate patience and acceptance of the way things behave.
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So a real sense of resting your attention on the breath.
This exhausted mind so often caught up in planning,
Analyzing,
Predicting,
Worrying.
As often as you can remember to do so resting your mind back on the gentle rhythmic flow of the breath.
This is a real sense of resting your attention on the breath.
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Noticing where your attention is right now and if it strayed from the breath then as often as you need to coming back to this life giving breath.
Giving your full attention.
Giving thanks for each and every one.
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Not trying to get anywhere or make anything happen and not trying to block anything out either.
Just letting the gentle rhythmic breath be the main focus of your attention.
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And however you find yourself whatever may be going on in your mind with your emotions,
Your bodily experience just keep breathing softly and patiently with it.
One breath at a time.
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Breathing with discomfort.
Breathing with restlessness.
Breathing with peaceful feelings.
With grief,
Joy,
Boredom.
Whatever is here breathing with it.
Letting the breath flow into and out of it.
Each breath as an expression of kindness.
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Another kind patient breath helping you to accept and make room for whatever is here.
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