Hi,
My name is Sean,
And thank you for joining me for this practice of Cultivating Focus.
There are many ways that we can cultivate a focused mind through meditation.
In today's meditation,
We will be cultivating focus through counting our breaths and placing our attention specifically on the space between the out breath and the in breath.
By placing our attention on this gap between the breaths,
Our aim is to grow our awareness of this gap.
We will count our breaths up to ten,
Counting each breath after the exhale.
And we will start over again at one once we reach ten.
Throughout the practice,
I will offer periods of silence with the intention of giving you space to cultivate a greater focus.
I recommend that you do this practice sitting down.
You could be seated in your bed,
Or on a couch,
Or a chair,
Or even on a cushion on the ground.
Taking a position that is both easeful and alert,
If it's possible in your body,
Sitting up tall,
Stacking ears over shoulders and shoulders over hips,
Your arms can rest heavy by your sides,
And your hands can rest on your thighs or in your lap.
And you can do this practice with your eyes closed or with your eyes open.
So to begin,
Take a slow deep breath into your body.
And open your mouth and take a slow deep breath out.
Again,
Fill the body with a slow deep breath in.
And opening your mouth,
A slow deep breath out.
And then let your body settle into this position that you've taken.
Welcoming a stillness to your body.
And welcoming a stillness to your mind.
Allow yourself to know this,
What is present in this moment.
So noticing the sounds around you.
Noticing the sounds furthest from you.
And then noticing the sounds closest to you.
And noticing the rising and falling of these sounds.
And then bringing notice to your body.
The space of your body and the sensations of your body.
So maybe you notice temperature of air on skin.
Or the pressure of the surface beneath you holding you up.
Maybe there's some noticeable tightness or tension in the body.
And if you do notice any tightness or tension,
Can you direct a breath to that area?
And exhale with an attitude of softening and letting go.
And letting go.
And then bringing notice to your breath.
Maybe you notice the breath at your nostrils or your chest or your stomach.
Or maybe you notice the whole experience of breath in the body.
See if you can settle on one area to focus your attention on.
And notice the breath moving in and out without trying to change or manipulate the breath in any way.
I'm not trying to force anything here.
Just placing your attention at one area and noticing the breath as it moves in and it moves out.
And as you watch your breath,
Come to start counting your breaths at the bottom of the exhale.
And the little gap found between the breath.
Starting at one.
And then after the next exhale,
Two.
And so forth until ten.
And then starting again at one.
And letting go of any image of how this is supposed to be or any need to get this right.
Allowing the mind to be relaxed,
Soft,
But focused with a light attention on the bottom of the exhale.
And when you realize the mind has wandered away from the breath and on to passing thoughts,
See if you can allow yourself to notice this kindly,
Without judgment,
And bring yourself back to your next breath.
Starting your counting again from one.
And know that by noticing that your mind has wandered,
You are enacting the growth of your focus.
And again,
If your mind has wandered away,
Allow your focus to return to the space between the breath and begin your counting again.
Now coming to let go of counting the breath and letting go of the focus on the breath.
Just letting yourself take a moment to rest in the body and notice how you feel.
Notice if any shifts have happened since the beginning of the practice.
And see if you can let go of any judgments or stories that you may have about your practice.
And again,
Taking a deep,
Slow inhale into the body.
And a deep,
Slow exhale out.
And then,
In your own time,
Whenever you are ready,
You can bring your awareness back into the space surrounding you.
Softly blink your eyes open if they were closed.
And bring yourself out of the practice.
Thank you for sitting with me today and letting me create space with you.
So I hope this practice helps you feel more focused throughout your day and know that you can return to it whenever you are in need of focus.
Take care and be well.
