Hi,
And welcome to this meditation practice.
Come into a comfortable position in a quiet place where you can be free from distractions.
Choose a posture that promotes a long,
Neutral spine,
Even if you're lying down.
And if you're seated,
Allow your chin to be in a neutral position so that the back of your neck stays long.
Drop your shoulders away from your ears.
Allow your eyes to gently close or softly rest your gaze at the ground ahead of you.
And begin to turn your attention inward towards your breath without trying to change anything.
Simply notice how you're breathing right now.
Is the breath moving through your nose or your mouth?
Notice the rhythm and depth of your breath.
Notice if there's a difference between the in-breath and the out-breath.
Notice how the breath feels as it moves through your body.
Where in the body do you notice your breath?
Maybe it's at the nostrils or the chest or the belly.
And as you focus your awareness inward toward your breath and your body,
Also notice your mind.
How might the breath as it is right now relate to your mind as it is right now?
Simply notice without judgment.
If you haven't already,
Close your lips and begin to breathe in and out through your nose without making any drastic changes,
Without forcing,
Pushing,
Or straining.
With as much ease as possible,
We'll begin to use a short count to even out the breath.
Inhaling for a count of three and exhaling for a count of three.
Matching the exhale breath to the length of the inhale.
Equal breathing in and out through your nose.
Let the quality of your breath reflect all of the qualities you'd like to see in your mind.
Patient,
Easy,
Spacious,
And calm.
Breathing in,
Two,
Three.
Out,
Two,
Three.
Finding balance between the breath in and out.
Sensing balance also in your mind.
In,
Two,
Three.
Out,
Two,
Three.
And now,
Without making any big changes and with as much ease as possible,
See if you can begin to extend the exhale breath to four.
Inhaling,
Two,
Three.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And with each longer exhale,
Release any unnecessary energy in the mind.
In,
Two,
Three.
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And now,
Still breathing comfortably and with as much ease as possible,
Begin to extend the exhale breath to five.
Breathing in,
Two,
Three.
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Same easy breath in and a longer breath out.
Again,
With each exhale,
Letting go of excess energy in the mind.
In,
Two,
Three.
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
As you watch the breath,
Notice the mind.
Notice how the quality of the mind is reflected in your breath.
And notice how the breath reflects your quality of the mind.
Breath and mind,
Neither one coming first.
If you change one,
You change the other.
Breathing in,
Two,
Three.
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
And now,
Letting go of the counting,
Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm and flow.
And as we come to the end of this practice,
Return to your day with this awareness of breath,
Knowing that at any time you can come back to this practice or practice extending the exhale on your own to bring calm to your breath and your mind.
Thank you so much for joining me in this practice today.
Have an amazing day.
Namaste.
