Living In "The Pause"

Put in some headphones and get comfortable. This 22-minute breath practice begins with a guided awareness of breath and eventually builds up to a breath pattern of inhale 4 - hold 8 - exhale 4 - hold 8. The meditation ends with a guided visualization of spreading light across the whole world.

Transcript

Wherever you are, Close your eyes if you haven't already. And just start to become aware of your breath. Don't try to alter it or change it in any way just yet. Just notice the natural rhythm of your breath. Notice the way your chest, Maybe your belly rise and fall as you breathe. Feel the way the air touches the skin of your upper lip and your nostrils. Now start to breathe a little bit deeper with intention. Long, Slow, Deep, Conscious breaths in and out of the nose. As you breathe in through your nose, Count one, Two, Three, Four. Exhale, Four, Three, Two, One. Inhale, One, Two, Three, Four. Exhale, Four, Three, Two, One. As you breathe, Let your inhale roll into the exhale. Exhale rolls into the exhale. Exhale rolls into the inhale, One continuous breath. Feel the soft, Smooth texture of the air as it moves through your nostril, Nasal passage, Down your windpipe and into your lungs. On the reverse journey from your lungs through your windpipe, Your nasal passage, Your nostrils and out across your upper lip. Keep counting your breath in your mind. Thoughts come into your mind, Let them leave as easily as they came in, Like clouds floating through the sky. Steady, Smooth breath in. Steady, Smooth breath out. And now as you inhale, Inhale for a count of four. At the top of your breath, Pause for a count of one. Exhale for a count of four. Pause at the bottom of your breath for a count of one. As you breathe in, Notice the movement, The texture of the air, The sensation of filling up when you reach the pause. Sit in that stillness briefly. As you exhale, Notice the sensation of air moving away from you, Leaving your body. And at the bottom of your breath, Pause. Feel the stillness. Keep breathing like this. Are you holding any tension as you breathe? Relax the muscles of your face and jaw, Your cheeks, Your eyes, Your ears, Your ears, Your eyes, Your ears, Your ears, Your ears, Your ears, Your ears, Your ears, Your ears, Your ears. And now as we breathe, Breathe in for a count of four. Pause at the top of your breath for a count of two. Exhale for a count of four. Pause at the bottom of your breath for a count of two. And now as you inhale, Exhale for a count of four. Pause at the top of your breath for a count of four. Exhale for a count of four. Exhale for a count of four. Exhale for a count of four. Keep breathing like this, Inhaling for four, Holding for two, Exhaling for a count of four. Keep breathing like this, Inhaling for four, Holding for two, Exhaling for four, Holding for two. It's in the moments of pause that you can feel the energy of your breath. It's in the moments of pause when your mind, Your brain starts to get a little bit itchy, Where you want to distract, To escape from the present moment. Allow yourself to be in that moment. Embrace the pause. Fill up that stillness with just being. Fill up that stillness with just being. And now as we breathe, We'll inhale for four, Hold for four, Exhale for four, Hold for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. And now as we breathe, Inhale for a count of four, Hold for a count of eight, Exhale for four, Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Hold for eight. And now as we breathe, Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Exhale for four. Keep breathing. The more you fill up with air as you breathe in, The easier it is to hold. And as you exhale, Push out every last drop of stale air to hold your breath out. Notice the feelings, The thoughts that arise. Sit with discomfort. Find comfort in the stillness. Be at ease in the pause. Be at ease in the pause. Be at ease in the pause. Be at ease in the pause. Be at ease in the pause. Be at ease in the pause. Be at ease in the pause. Be at ease in the pause. Be at ease in the pause. Wherever you are in your breath, Inhale deeply, Fill up with air, Hold. Stretch your arms overhead behind you or overhead above you. Spread your fingertips wide. Exhale, Relax your arms down by your sides. Bring your palms face up at your sides or on top of your thighs. Keep your eyes closed. Feel that sense of peace and calm, Contentment in the quiet. Imagine your contentment and well-being as a ball of light floating in your heart center. With every breath, That ball of light grows brighter and bigger, More powerful. And the ball of light begins to get so big and so bright with every breath in that it leaves your physical body, Grows bigger than your body and encases you like a bubble, A big floating bubble of light that you sit in. Safe, Loved and protected. This bubble of light lets in good energy. Anything negative bounces right off. Now as you breathe, Imagine that bubble of light getting bigger, Big enough to fill the whole room that you're sitting in. Imagine that bubble of light gets even bigger to fill your whole home dwelling, The entire building that you live in, Your whole street and all the people who live in it, Your entire neighborhood and everyone inside. With every breath it goes bigger, Filling your whole town or city, Even bigger, Filling up your entire state. And you notice that your bubble is intersecting with the bubbles of others, Crisscrossing, Interlapping, Bubbles of safety and protection, Growing so big to fill the whole country, Growing so big to fill an entire continent, Growing so big to encase the entire world in a bubble of light, Glowing, Full of love, Peace and calm. And with that bubble of light, You send your love to everyone in the whole world. You send a prayer for peace and well-being to the whole world. Inhale deeply through your nose, Open mouth exhale. A little more big breath like that, Inhale, Open mouth exhale. Some gentle movement into your fingers and toes, Cover your eyes with your hands and slowly open your eyes into the palms of your hands, Noticing the cracks of light coming between your fingers and then gently slide your palms down your face, Bringing the light back into the present moment, Back into this space and time, This body, This being. I hope you enjoyed today's meditation about being present and living in the pause. I hope you feel as calm and relaxed as I do right now and that you can take this energy with you throughout the rest of your day, Maybe share it with your family members, Friends and loved ones. Thank you.