Welcome to this short mindfulness practice where you'll be using your breath as an anchor to root your awareness into the present moment,
Like an anchor that roots a ship to one place.
This will help dissolve anxiety,
Decrease stress and allow the body to heal in a relaxed and peaceful state.
So to begin,
I invite you to find a comfortable position,
Getting as comfortable as you can be in your space.
It's often best to be seated,
But you can do this in any posture,
Standing,
Lying,
Sitting or even walking.
My guidance will assume you're sitting,
But adapt the instructions to whatever posture you've chosen.
So sitting with your back upright,
Get relaxed with your spine following its natural curves.
See if you can establish a position that feels dignified,
Alert and yet relaxed,
And allow your body to settle,
To rest down into gravity,
Letting it be supported by the floor beneath you,
And gently close your eyes if that's comfortable for you.
This will help your awareness to settle by lessening external distractions.
Gradually allow your awareness to gather around the sensations of the breath in your body.
Where do you feel the breath most strongly?
Be curious about your actual experience,
Letting go of what you think should be happening and being with your experience without judgment.
Now very gently,
Rest your awareness within the whole torso.
Can you feel your belly swelling on the in-breath and subsiding on the out-breath?
Can you feel any movements and sensations with the breath in the sides and the back of the body as well?
Gradually inhabit your body a little more deeply with a sense of kindly curiosity toward whatever you're experiencing as you breathe.
Remember to be accepting of whatever's happening.
See if you can cultivate a precise awareness of the sensations and movement of the breath in the body as they happen moment by moment,
Being careful not to strain.
Allow your awareness to be utterly receptive as it rests upon the natural movement of the breath in the body.
Allow the breath to be saturated with kindliness as it rocks and cradles the body and it soothes any stress,
Pain or discomfort you may feel.
Now become aware of any thoughts and emotions,
Remembering that mindfulness isn't about having a blank mind,
It's normal to think.
Mindfulness is the training where you cultivate awareness of what's actually happening physically,
Mentally and emotionally so you can gradually change your perspective and feel you have more choice in how you relate to life.
Can you be aware of what you're thinking and feeling without either blocking the experience or getting overwhelmed by it?
And remember thoughts are not fact,
Even though often we think that they are.
As you develop perspective on your thoughts and emotions,
Including undermining ones,
Can you let go of being so caught up in them?
Notice how they're continually changing one moment to the next,
Exactly the same way your breath is always changing.
Your thoughts and emotions are not as fixed,
Not as solid as you perhaps thought.
Using awareness of the movement and sensations of the breath in your body as an anchor for the mind over and over again,
Follow the breath all the way in and all the way out.
Each time your awareness wanders,
As it will,
Simply note this and return to the breathing anchor time after time after time,
Moment by moment.
Make sure that you're kind and patient with yourself,
Even if you have to start again a hundred times.
It's okay,
This is what the training is all about.
And remember that each time you notice you've wandered is a magic moment of awareness,
A moment where you've woken up from a distraction,
A moment of choice.
So when you catch yourself having wandered off,
You're succeeding in the practice,
Just as you're succeeding when you manage to stay with the breath.
What's happening now?
What are you thinking?
Just note this and guide your awareness back to the sensation of the breath in the body over and over again.
And now gently begin to bring the breathing anchor practice to a close.
Whenever you feel comfortable,
You might slowly blink the eyes open,
Scanning your environment and noticing familiarity in your space.
Become aware of any sounds in the room or outside of the room.
Feel your whole body and gradually,
Gently begin to bring some movement back into your body,
Making sure to give yourself time to make a smooth transition from the breathing anchor practice to whatever you're doing next.
Have a peaceful day.
