Namaste,
My name is Raman.
Today we will practice Anapanasati meditation,
Commonly known as breath meditation.
Anapanasati literally means mindfulness of breath.
It is one of the most ancient and foundational meditations.
It's a great meditation for beginners as well as seasoned practitioners.
You can do this meditation at any time of the day,
But you will see a significant impact in your practice if you start your day with this meditation.
So,
Find a comfortable place to sit in.
You can sit on a chair or cross-legged.
If you're sitting on a chair,
Keep your feet comfortably rested on the ground,
Hands on your knees or in your lap.
Close your eyes if you have not closed them already.
Sit with your back comfortably straight and spine in a straight line.
Alert,
Get relaxed.
Relax your forehead,
Relax your eyes,
Relax your jaw,
Relax your complete body.
Is there any further scope to relax your jaw or any part of your body?
Now,
Take a mental resolve to sit still till the end of this practice.
If you still have to move any of your body parts,
Do it very slowly and with complete awareness.
Now,
Gently glance through your body and observe different sensations in different parts of your body.
Feel the natural state of your body.
Feel the weight of your body,
Body sitting on the chair or on the floor.
How do you feel in this moment?
Is it light?
Is it heavy?
Is it pleasant?
Is it unpleasant?
Just observe without trying to change,
Label or resist anything.
Now,
Bring your entire attention to your breath.
Feel the natural state of your breath.
You can feel your breath in your belly or in your nostrils.
Choose one point where you feel it most pronounced.
Breath coming in,
Breath going out.
Simple rhythm of the breath.
Full attention to the breath.
Don't try to change anything.
Don't try to change your breath.
If it is deep,
Let it be deep.
If it is shallow,
Let it be shallow.
If it is slow,
Let it be slow.
If it is fast,
Let it be fast.
Just be aware and present to your breath.
Breath coming in,
Breath going out.
Breath coming in,
Breath going out.
Full attention to your breath.
When you realize you have wandered in your thoughts,
Gently acknowledge and bring your attention back to the breath.
Don't get irritated.
Don't try too hard.
Just keep looking at the rhythm of your breath.
Simple rhythm of your breath.
Breath coming in,
Breath going out.
Gently acknowledge,
Come back to your breath whenever you realize you have lost in your thoughts.
Watch your breath as if you're watching a river flowing from a distance.
Simple rhythm of the breath.
Breath coming in,
Breath going out.
Breath coming in,
Breath going out.
Full attention to the breath.
Now,
Let go of your attention on the breath and just sit still in silence for a few minutes,
Enjoying this space,
Your own company.
Fully alert,
Awake and present,
Allowing any experience to come up in your awareness.
Be intensely aware of any vibrations in your body,
Energy,
Any pain,
Itching,
Pleasant or unpleasant sensations.
Be aware of sounds around you.
Sounds coming from far off places.
Sounds coming from nearby places.
And be aware of this stillness,
This space,
This silence.
If you get lost in your thoughts,
Just come back to the present moment.
Your body,
Your breath and the silence.
Be completely awake,
Present,
Alert and tune into this silence,
This space,
This stillness inside you.
Now,
Before we end this practice,
There is some homework for you.
And this homework is more important than the actual formal practice.
Whenever you find yourself waiting for something,
Bring your attention to your breath for a few seconds.
You can do it when you are waiting for a lift,
Waiting for food on your dining table,
Waiting for somebody on a conference call.
Utilize this time to tune into your breath and this silence.
Now,
Whenever you want to come back,
Gently wriggle your toes,
Wriggle your fingers.
You can give your body a good stretch if you want.
And bring your hands in a namaste position and rub them to generate heat,
To generate energy.
Now,
Bring your hands over your closed eyes and feel the warmth and very gently,
Softly open your eyes,
Wishing you peace and awareness for the rest of your day.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
Namaste.
