This is guided meditation to help you practice mindful breathing.
You can do this sitting comfortably in a chair or you could lie in Shavasana,
Which is relaxation pose in yoga,
Flat on the floor or you could roll a blanket to support the back of your knees or the back of your head.
Do what feels most comfortable to you so that you can relax your body and connect with your breath.
Whether you're sitting in a chair or you're lying down,
Take one hand and place it on your chest.
Take the other hand and place it on your belly,
Just below the belly button.
And just notice,
Without doing anything right now,
Don't change your breath.
Simply be aware of this moment.
Notice where you feel your breath without forcing it to change.
Do you feel it in your throat?
Maybe you feel it in your chest.
Is your breath shallow?
Is it fast?
Is it slowing down and deepening?
Just be aware of it.
And again,
Without forcing anything to change,
Notice the breath going in through your nose and out through your nose.
If you were to start to bring your awareness even deeper to your nose and to the breath,
Would you notice a temperature change?
Is the air traveling in a little cooler?
And then as you exhale,
Does the air warm up?
It's ok if it doesn't,
But you might be able to notice that.
Bringing your attention now to where you feel the breath in your belly.
Bend your belly on this next inhale breath and then feel the air lift up to the chest.
Open your mouth and exhale.
Again,
Deepest inhale,
Filling the belly up first.
Feel that air travel up to the chest.
Open your mouth and release.
One more deep breath in,
Feeling that wave of your breath travel in,
Travel out.
Notice now as you continue the wave of your breath,
Closing your lips together as you inhale through your nose and exhale through your nose.
Again,
Don't force the breath,
But see if you can deepen it.
Inhale,
Exhale.
And you know that sound,
If you were to open your mouth and clean off your glasses,
See if you can feel that soft whisper at the back of your throat as you inhale and as you exhale.
But try to do that breath with the lips closed.
Inhale through the nose,
Exhale through the nose.
You might even notice that just as your breath moves like a wave,
It sounds like a wave traveling in,
Traveling out.
Now release your hands and just let them rest comfortably in your lap.
You might turn your palms up towards the sky,
Or you could turn your palms down,
Resting on your thighs.
If you're lying on the floor,
Then just let your hands rest comfortably to the side of your body with your palms turned up.
Roll the shoulders back,
Do any sort of wiggling you need to.
This is your time to be completely present.
There is nothing more present than your own breath.
So as you bring your attention,
Your awareness to your breath,
Don't worry,
Your thoughts may travel away thinking about things.
And you just very gently bring your thoughts back to your breath.
Listen to the inhale.
Listen to the exhale.
Letting that wave naturally breathe your body now.
No forcing it to change.
Don't worry about where you feel it.
Nothing more than letting your breath breathe you,
Letting your breath guide you,
Letting your breath bring you to this moment.
As you deeply swallow,
You can feel the back of your throat soften,
The tongue releasing from the top of your mouth,
Every muscle in your face softening.
With each breath,
There is a calmness that comes to your mind.
There is a relaxation that fills your body.
There is peace in your heart.
Enjoy the next two minutes of complete silence.
Really listening to your breath.
When you catch yourself thinking,
Very gently return your mind to your breath.
Counting your breaths.
One on the inhale.
Two on the exhale.
Continue counting.
When you lose your focus,
Return to one.
Return to two.
Inhale.
Exhale.
I'll let you know when it's time to come back.
Thank you for listening.
Start to bring your awareness back to your body as you wiggle your fingers and toes.
Take your deepest inhale breath through your nose,
Open your mouth and exhale.
You might even softly smile,
Start to stretch a little bit and just notice how you feel.
Congratulations!
You let your breath bring you to this moment.
The practice of being mindful starts with your breath.
Remember that you can use this practice anywhere,
Whether it's 10 seconds,
30 seconds,
2 minutes,
20 minutes.
The choice is yours.
Simply remember that your breath is always with you.
Use it to bring calm and clarity and peace to your life.
When you're feeling rushed and stressed and off center,
Pause,
Take a few breaths,
Place your hand to your heart and your belly,
Gently bow and honor this moment.
Be grateful for your breath.
Be grateful for your life.
Use your breath to bring you to this moment and help you remember what's truly important for you.
Be well.
Return to this practice again and again.
Namaste.
