We start this mindfulness of breathing exercise by taking a moment just to relax the body.
Soften any unnecessary tension in your belly and your shoulders and find a posture that feels both relaxed and alert.
You can close your eyes gently or look downwards just to limit visual distractions and rest your hands in an easy effortless way.
Take a few moments to scan your awareness through the sensations of your body and wherever possible see if you can soften and release any obvious areas of physical tension or tightness.
So we begin this process of coming back to our senses by establishing our home base There are many possible anchors to hold our attention like sound or sensations throughout the body.
The most common one and the one that we'll explore here is the breath.
So just notice your breathing in and out.
Please breathe naturally and simply notice where the breath is easiest to detect and where the breath also feels pleasant or at least neutral.
So you might pay attention to how the breath feels as it flows in and out of your nose.
So you might pay attention to how the breath feels as it flows in and out of your nose.
You might feel the touch of your breath around your nostrils or on your upper lip or perhaps you feel the movement of your chest and the rising and falling of your belly.
And the rising and falling of your belly or perhaps you feel your whole body like a balloon expanding with the in-breath,
Deflating with the out-breath.
So just take some moments to bring your attention to the sensations of breathing in one of these areas,
A relaxed attentiveness.
There's no need to control the breath.
There's sense that you're receiving the breath,
Much like you'd listen to sound.
With a relaxed awareness,
Discover what the breath is really like as a changing experience of sensations.
With a relaxed awareness,
Discover what the breath is really like as a changing experience of sensations.
This life breath is your home base right now,
A place to rest and just be aware.
So in these next moments,
Just simply relax as the breath comes in.
Notice what it feels like and then relax with the exhale.
Let go and again notice the immediate experience of sensations.
Let go and again notice the immediate experience of sensations.
Notice where your attention is.
You might find that your mind has drifted off into thoughts,
Which is completely natural.
The mind is conditioned to move off into thinking about the future or the past.
So when you become aware of thinking,
You might just use a soft and friendly mental note.
Just say thinking,
Thinking,
And then pause and simply re-relax.
Just open to the attention again,
Aware of the sounds around you,
Re-relaxing your body,
And feeling the aliveness in your body.
Relax the sensations around your heart,
Releasing any unnecessary tension.
And without judgment,
Just allow yourself to gently return again to the inflow and outflow of each breath right now.
Let your breath be an intimate friend,
A home base that reconnects you with your own presence.
Breathing in,
Feeling what it feels like to be breathing in and breathing out,
Simply noticing the sensations of breathing out.
Each beautiful breath.
And as you notice each inhale and exhale,
You also might notice other experiences,
Other background sounds,
Perhaps of a passing car,
The wind,
Or a bird.
Or you might notice other sensations in the body of warmth or coolness.
But whatever else you notice in the background can allow it to be there without drawing you away from just being aware of your breath.
Just continue to rest with the sensations of each inhale and exhale,
With the simple intention of noticing,
Simple intention of just being with each inhale and exhale,
Coming back to the breath again and again.
Relaxing with the breath,
Breathing in and breathing out.
And if you discover that the mind has drifted off again,
That's okay.
It's not bad or wrong.
Simply pause,
Relax,
And gently come back to the next inhale and exhale.
Your thoughts are not the enemy.
You don't have to clear your mind of thoughts.
You're simply developing the capacity to recognize when thoughts are happening without getting lost in the storyline.
Each moment is an opportunity of coming back here and now,
Being present for each inhale and exhale.
Thank you.
As you notice the mind getting quieter,
You might sense the peace that arises when you relax even more and immerse your entire awareness into the inflow and outflow of each breath.
Breathing in,
Know that you're breathing in.
Breathing out,
Know that you're breathing out.
Be aware of the beginnings and endings of each breath.
Fully here,
Awake,
At home,
In presence.
You can practice this mindfulness exercise of coming back to your breath informally any time of day as a way of quieting and collecting your mind.
Simply bringing a full,
Gentle attention to each breath.
Relaxing with the in-breath and relaxing with the out-breath.
Sense into the body and continue on with the rest of your day.
