So let's just take a moment to settle into our chair,
Feeling both feet on the floor,
And just resting your hands comfortably in your lap,
Finding an upright spine,
One that isn't too rigid,
But that invites a sense of wakefulness in the body,
A sense of alertness,
But at the same time allowing all of the muscles of the body to be at ease in a way that invites openness and receptivity to whatever experiences arise.
And as you allow the body to settle into the seat,
At the same time inviting awareness to settle within the body,
And now gently turning your attention to the fact that you are breathing,
Gently noticing the rising of each inhalation and the falling of each exhalation.
So just seeing if you can notice the beginning of your inhale and the end of your exhale,
Following a few breaths in and out,
Not needing to change the breath in any way,
But just resting your awareness on your natural breath rhythm as it is in this moment.
As you connect with the breath more fully,
You might notice particular sensations related to the breath.
So for example,
You might feel how air moves in and out of your nostrils.
Can you feel the touch of air within the nose?
Cooler air moving in and warmer air moving out.
Or perhaps you notice the breath deeper in the body,
Around the chest area,
The subtle movement of the ribcage expanding on your inhale and contracting on your exhale.
Or maybe you feel the breath within the abdomen,
Belly inflating on your inhale and deflating on your exhale.
And just noticing within your own body different sensations that may be arising in response to the inhalation and exhalation of your natural breath rhythm.
And wherever it's easiest for you to feel the sensation,
Just gently resting your attention there.
It's not uncommon for the mind to start to wander,
To get lost in thoughts or distractions.
Anytime that you might notice the mind getting caught up in some story or planning or remembering,
It's a precious moment of mindfulness.
And in noticing when the mind has wandered,
Just gently escorting your attention back to the breath,
Resting awareness on the inhalation and exhalation,
And continuing with the meditation.
No matter how many times you might have to reorient your attention back to the breath.
If the mind is particularly active,
You might use the technique of counting breaths.
And so with each inhalation,
Counting one,
Each exhalation,
Counting one,
And continuing each breath cycle,
Counting up,
Breathing in for two and out for two,
In for three,
Out for three,
And so on.
If the mind wanders or you lose count,
Relishing in that moment of noticing that,
Returning to the breath and starting over again.
And now the next time you release an out breath,
Just letting go of any attention to the fact that you are breathing,
No longer needing to count the breaths or follow your inhale and exhale.
Just simply rest your mind in this present moment and slowly beginning to open your eyes,
Bringing awareness to your surroundings,
And making any subtle shifts in your body as you transition from the meditation to what it is that you're about to do next,
Doing the best to maintain this thread of awareness as you end the meditation.
