This is the three minute mindfulness of the breath meditation practice.
In this brief mindfulness practice,
We're going to practice paying attention to the breath,
Just noticing and following each inhale and exhale.
When you notice that your mind has wandered off,
Note where you've been and without judging or criticizing yourself,
Begin again.
You should be seated in a comfortable but alert posture in your chair with your feet flat against the floor.
Your back should be straight but relaxed,
Maintaining the natural curve in your spine.
You can rest your arms wherever feels comfortable for you.
You can gently close your eyes or gaze down softly in front of you.
Let's begin by tuning into the overall feeling of your body sitting in the chair right now.
Tune into the sensation of your feet against the floor,
Your hands in your lap,
Your body supported by the chair.
Now move your awareness to the sensation of the breath as it enters and exits your body.
We're just tuning into the ebb and flow of the breath without trying to change it or make anything happen.
As you breathe in,
You'll notice the breath most clearly or vividly somewhere in your chest or lower down in your belly.
Wherever you notice the rising and falling of the breath most strongly,
Anchor your awareness there.
This will be your home base,
The place you return to when you notice that your mind has wandered off.
Now notice the in-breath and feel the breath as it fills your body.
If you like,
As you breathe in you can say silently to yourself,
Breathing in.
Notice the out-breath and feel the fall of your chest or belly as you breathe out.
If you like,
As you breathe out,
You can say silently to yourself,
Breathing out.
Remember that it's the nature of the mind to wander,
To jump around from thought to thought,
So there's no point in judging or criticizing yourself when you realize that it's happened.
There's also no point in trying to prevent your mind from wandering.
So when you notice that your mind has wandered away from the breath,
Simply note where it's been and return to the next in-breath,
The next out-breath.
Now see if you can follow the breath from the beginning of the in-breath all the way through to the end of the out-breath.
See if you can notice the small space at the very end of the out-breath before the next in-breath begins.
Just breathing in,
Breathing out,
Staying present for the full cycle of the breath from in-breath to out-breath to the space at the end of the out-breath before the next in-breath reveals itself.
We're just breathing in and breathing out and pulling ourselves back to our home base in the body when we notice that our mind has wandered off.
Now still with the breath,
Open your awareness again to your body sitting in the chair right now.
Feel your hands resting in your lap,
Your body supported by the chair,
Your feet against the floor.
Take three more nice deep breaths and when you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes and bring your full awareness back into the room where you are right now.
