Hello and welcome.
My name is Ray Chen and I will be doing a short guided mindfulness meditation with you today.
It will be a breath and body based meditation.
For those who are beginners to meditation,
If you feel any discomfort during the session,
Feel free to bring yourself out of the meditation.
Find a comfortable seated position.
Begin by taking three slow deep breaths.
In through the nose and out through the mouth.
You can either keep your eyes open with a softened gaze downward or you can close your eyes.
If you would like,
You can keep a half smile on your face.
I'd like you to imagine a string from the top of your head gently pulling you up,
Lengthening through your spine.
I invite you to breathe in and out through your nose during this meditation.
Let your breath be the anchor of this meditation.
Now I invite you to bring your attention to the sensations of your breath at the tip of your nose.
You may feel the sensations just on your upper lip or inside the nostril.
Focus your attention on this point as your breath enters and leaves your body.
Notice the temperature of the air as it enters your body and as it leaves.
Now I would like you to count each breath.
Count right before the inhale of each breath,
Counting up to ten.
If any thoughts arise,
Let them come and let them go.
Bring yourself back to the sensations of the breath.
Congratulate yourself for coming back to the breath,
For that is the essence of mindfulness.
Now I invite you to bring your attention to the sensations of your breath at your chest.
Notice the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Notice the rise and fall of your ribcage.
I invite you to bring your attention to the sensation in your belly.
Notice the rise and fall of your belly.
Imagine the air entering the bottom of your lungs as you breathe in.
Feel the flow of your breath from the tip of your nose to your chest down to your belly.
The rise and fall of your belly signify the use of your diaphragm,
The most important muscle for breathing and core stability.
Continue to feel that flow of your breath.
Now I'd like you to notice any tension you may be carrying.
Ask yourself,
Is there any tension in your face?
Feel the sensations in your forehead,
Your eyes,
Your nose,
Your mouth.
Now I'd like you to turn your attention to your neck and shoulders.
If you've been at the computer,
You may feel some tightness or stress in this area.
And if not,
That's okay too.
Breathe into that discomfort or tension that you may have.
Imagine your breath entering the tense areas of your neck and shoulders.
And with each breath,
Imagine the area melting away,
Releasing any discomfort with each breath.
Now I invite you to turn your attention to your spine.
Is there any tension or tightness there?
Feel your upper back,
Your lower back.
If there is any tension,
Breathe into that sensation and imagine the tension releasing with each out breath.
If you get distracted by thought,
Just gently bring yourself back to the sensations of the breath.
Now I invite you to bring your awareness to the sensation of your breath where you feel it the most.
It may be at the tip of your nose,
At your chest,
In your belly.
Just gently bring your awareness to that sensation.
Feel the sensation of the inhale and the exhale.
Notice the pause between the inhale and the exhale.
As we conclude our session today,
I would like you to think of a couple of things that you are grateful for today.
It can be as simple as the fresh air or the blue sky.
Hold in your mind that thought of gratefulness.
And when you're ready,
You can bring yourself back to your room,
Back to the sounds around you.
You can wiggle your fingers and your toes.
And when you're ready,
You can slowly open your eyes.
Proceed throughout your day with this newfound calmness and awareness of your body.
Thank you.
