Begin this mindfulness breathing meditation by sitting comfortably,
Whether you're seated on the floor,
On a meditation cushion,
Or maybe sitting in a chair.
Sit tall so that your spine is erect without over-efforting or arching.
And if at any point you need to lie down to be more comfortable,
Give yourself that option.
Get as comfortable as you possibly can,
Letting any unnecessary fidgeting or movements to dissipate,
So that you can welcome stillness in the body rather than force it.
And deliberately take three or four deep breaths.
And feel the air as it enters into your body.
Feel as it moves into the nose and down the throat,
Moves into the chest and the abdomen,
And how it turns around and flows back out.
And after you've taken some deep,
Long,
Slow inhalations and exhalations,
Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm without forcing or controlling it.
This is a practice of letting go of control.
Allow the breath to flow in and out on its own without your intervention or need to manipulate it.
Now tune into the subtle differences and sensations between the inhales and exhalations.
What does it feel like to inhale?
And where in the body do you actually feel the breath taking place?
And what does it feel like to exhale?
What's actually happening in the body?
What do you feel?
Where are the most obvious sensations,
Perhaps in the abdomen,
The chest?
Where do you feel the movement of breath?
Experience what's happening.
To become aware of the sensations constantly changing and moving,
Feel yourself completely.
Focus your awareness and your attention on your body and feel the breath.
Each breath might be different.
Maybe some are deep and others are shallow.
Try to keep your undivided attention on the constant ebb and flow of the breath,
The rise and fall.
And if you find it difficult to concentrate on the subtle sensations that you feel or the rhythm of the breath,
Silently say to yourself in as you inhale and out as you exhale.
And when your attention strays,
Be the observer of that and without needing to criticize or punish yourself,
Gently bring your awareness back,
Calling your awareness back home to yourself and focus on the rhythm,
The rise and fall of the breath.
Breath in,
Breath out.
Imagine the connection between you,
Your awareness,
And the pattern of your breath and the constant changing sensations.
Experience what it's like to be you.
Anytime your awareness slips away,
Gently bring it back.
Give yourself undivided attention.
Where do you feel the breath in your body?
What does the inhale feel like?
What does the exhale feel like?
You may experience tingling,
Vibrations,
Pulsations,
All of the energy moving in your body.
Be present with all of it.
When your mind slips away,
Just gently bring it back.
Feel the connection of the breath and the sensations that you feel,
The expansion on the inhale,
The softening on the exhale,
And everything in between.
Become familiar with what stillness feels like.
What does it feel like to be you without distractions,
With your own undivided attention focused back towards yourself?
If your mind wanders,
Come back to breathing in,
Out.
Breathe naturally and focus on the sensations of each breath.
If a thought or a feeling grabs your attention,
Notice it,
And then gently return to following the in and the out.
Without rushing,
Just allow your awareness to circulate through your entire body.
Listen intently for the rhythm of your heartbeat,
For the pulsation and vibration in the center of your chest.
And perhaps you can feel the residual pulsations of the heartbeat as tingling through the palms of the hands.
And gently increase your inhalation so that you feel a full expansion,
And release slowly a long,
Thin exhalation.
Do this two more times,
So a really long,
Deep inhale,
And a slow,
Long exhale.
One more time,
Deeply in,
Slowly out.
Become aware of your surroundings,
Any sounds that you might hear in the space that you're in,
The temperature of the air around you,
If there's any light coming in through your closed eyes.
And gradually open your eyes.
If you wish to join your hands together in front of your heart,
The thumbs pressing inwards towards your chest,
You might bow your head and send yourself gratitude for willingly sitting in stillness,
Giving yourself your own undivided attention,
Because you deserve it.
Namaste.
