Today I want to do a little meditation.
Just a 5 minute guided meditation.
Easy one,
Just focusing on our breath.
So if you have 5 minutes,
Maybe 6,
Just take a few moments and find a quiet place,
Coming into a nice seated position,
That's comfortable.
When we lie down we tend to relax too much so with meditation we want concentration,
It's called dhyana in yoga.
So ready to meditate.
The focus on our breath helps to keep the mind preoccupied a little bit so that's why we're focusing on the breath today.
So when you're ready,
Finding your nice comfortable position,
We're also going to work with the mudra of meditation,
The gesture of meditation,
It's called dhyana mudra.
We bring the tips of the thumbs and the tips of the fingers together and we rest them on our knees.
Make sure your shoulders roll away from your ears.
Take a deep inhale,
As you exhale blink your eyes closed.
Take another deep inhale,
Squeeze your shoulders up towards the ears,
As you exhale release to the side.
Another deep inhale and exhale release.
Closing your mouth and then exhaling through the nose.
For a moment just let go,
Just let go of the weekend behind us,
The morning leading up to this moment,
The day and the week ahead,
The stories,
The to-do lists,
Everything can wait for a few minutes and bring your attention to your breath and to your body in the present moment.
No way to go and nothing to do right now but breathe and come to stillness.
Noticing how the mind might be pulling your attention away,
Might be hooking onto sounds or thoughts,
Just notice and bring your awareness back to the breath.
Your focus is on the tip of the nose,
Noticing the air going in through the nose and out through the nose,
In through the nose and out through the nose.
The air going in through the nose is cool and dry and the air leaving the body is warm and moist.
Inhale,
Follow the cool dry air through the nose,
The back of the throat where it disappears back into the lungs and then again the warm moist air from the lungs,
The back of the throat and out the nose.
Cool air going in through the nose,
Back of the throat into the lungs,
Warm moist air leaving the body on the back of the throat to the nose.
Keep following the breath in and out through the nose,
Cool dry air going in,
Nose,
Throat,
Lung and warm moist air,
Lungs,
Throat and nose.
Your focus and your attention is on your breath,
Following the breath in and out through the nose.
If something draws your attention away from the breath,
Just notice and bring your awareness back.
Make sure you're not holding tension in your belly or in your throat.
Just hear your body and your breath.
Noticing that quiet place that is inherent,
Even though there might be sounds and noises.
Notice the quiet place where the breath comes from and disappears back into.
Peaceful place,
A quiet place that is always present,
Inherently so.
Resting in this place as you keep the awareness on the breath.
A few more rounds.
Letting go of the awareness of the breath.
Keep your eyes closed as you release your mudra,
Bring your hands together in prayer,
Rubbing your palms,
Generating some heat.
Cuffing your warm palms over your closed eyes,
Allow the heat to drain into the eye pockets,
Don't touch your eyeballs.
Once you feel the heat has been absorbed,
Blink your eyes open underneath your curved palms,
Letting some lines open your fingers and slowly trapping your hands.
And let your hands stretch up to your side and up,
Other side and up and exhale.
Arigatou gozaimasu.
