Hello and welcome to this meditation on fostering curiosity.
My name is Sarah and I'll be guiding you today.
Take a moment to prepare.
Find a comfortable seated position,
Whether that's in a chair with your feet flat on the floor or seated on the floor or a prop.
I encourage you to choose a position that allows your back to be tall,
But something that also feels easeful,
Like you could hold that position for several minutes.
Together,
We'll take three slow,
Deep breaths to settle in and arrive in our meditation.
Inhaling through the nose and allowing that breath to fill both the lungs and the belly and opening the mouth to exhale it all out,
Feeling the shoulders relax and settle.
Another deep breath in through the nose and a slow breath out through the mouth or the nose,
Noticing areas of ease or tightness.
And again,
Deep breath in,
Long breath out.
Continue to breathe in this way if it feels helpful to you or allow your breath to return to its normal rhythm.
Today,
We'll be working on fostering curiosity.
Curiosity has many benefits for us.
In its most basic sense,
It helps us to survive in our surroundings,
Keeping us present and aware of what's going on around us.
Curious people tend to be happier people.
Being curious can work to increase our empathy and deepen our relationships.
Being curious can also help us improve our mindset and boost our achievement.
To practice today,
We'll be getting curious about our breath.
It's something that seems like second nature to us.
Most of us don't even think about it until it becomes difficult or painful to breathe.
And yet,
Our breath is always with us and we can learn so much about our physical,
Emotional,
And mental health by observing it over time.
Start by bringing your awareness to your breath,
Allowing your breath to come and go without forcing it,
Without trying to change it in any way.
Notice what you feel as you breathe in and out.
As best as you can,
Name that feeling.
Is it a feeling of lightness,
Expansion,
Energy,
Heaviness,
Constriction,
Sluggishness,
Or something else?
As we go through this exploration of our breath,
Know that there are no right or wrong answers.
We're just exploring our breath in this moment.
Become aware of where you feel your breath in your body.
Can you feel it lifting your chest and your belly?
What about expanding your ribs sideways?
Can you feel it in your back,
Your nose,
Maybe even in your fingertips?
Notice what parts of your body you are breathing into and out of.
Your mouth,
Your nose,
Both nostrils,
Just one?
Which one?
Can you feel the sensation of your breath coming into your nose or your mouth?
What does it feel like?
Can you feel the breath coming out of your nose or mouth?
What does that feel like?
Take a few moments to explore your breath.
Now we'll look at the breath through a lens of what if.
Ask yourself,
What if I change something about my breath?
Could that change how I feel in my body?
Could that change how I feel in my mind?
On our next inhale,
Breathe in slowly through your nose to a count of four and exhale out the nose to a count of four.
Again,
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Continue on in this way,
Noticing how your inhales feel and how your exhales feel.
If you get distracted,
Acknowledge what thought caught your attention and return to your breath.
Now what would happen if you lengthened your exhales so that they were longer than your inhales?
Let's try it.
On your next inhale,
Breathe in slowly through your nose to a count of four and exhale out the nose to a count of six.
Again,
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Continue on in this way,
Noticing how these longer exhales feel,
If they have any effect on your physical,
Emotional,
Or mental well-being.
Take another deep breath in through your nose and exhale it forcefully out your mouth,
Releasing your control on your breath,
Letting it return to its normal rhythm.
Take these next few moments before we close out our practice to think about what you learned or felt about your breath.
How can you take this curiosity into other areas of your life?
How can you explore your everyday life in a way that allows you to see things with a new,
Deeper understanding?
Take one more big breath in through your nose and exhale to let it go,
Blinking open your eyes and coming back to the space around you.
Thank you for joining me today.
May you move through your day with a sense of curiosity and wonder.
