Breath Meditation

Sharon Salzberg is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts. She has been a student of meditation since 1971, guiding meditation retreats worldwide since 1974.

Transcript

This guided meditation is brought to you by Soundstrue.

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To begin with,

You can sit comfortably or lie down and relax.

You don't have to feel self-conscious as though you're about to do something special or weird.

Just be at ease.

It helps if your back can be straight without being strained or over-arched.

You can close your eyes or not,

However you feel comfortable.

And notice where the feeling of the breath is most predominant.

At the nostrils,

At the chest,

Or at the abdomen.

Rest your attention lightly just in that area.

See if you can feel just one breath from the beginning through the middle to the end.

And if you like,

You can use a quiet mental notation of in,

Out,

Or rising,

Falling to support the awareness of the breath.

But let your attention actually rest in the sensations of it.

If you're with the breath at the nostrils,

It may be tingling,

Vibration,

Warmth,

Coolness.

If at the chest or the abdomen,

It may be movement,

Pressure,

Stretching,

Release.

You don't have to name these things,

But feel them.

It's just one breath.

And if images or sounds,

Emotions,

Sensations arise,

But they're not strong enough to actually take you away from the feeling of the breath,

You can just relax.

And if you're not feeling the sensations,

But they're not strong enough to actually take you away from the feeling of the breath,

Just let them flow on by.

You don't have to follow after them.

You don't have to attack them.

You're breathing.

It's like seeing a friend in a crowd.

You don't have to shove everyone in the side or make them go away.

But your enthusiasm,

Your interest is going towards your friend.

Oh,

There's my friend.

There's the breath.

If something arises,

Sensations,

Emotions,

Memories,

Plans,

Whatever it might be,

That's strong enough to take your attention away from the feeling of the breath,

Just let them flow on by.

And if you're not feeling the sensations,

Just let them flow on by.

And if you're not feeling the sensations,

Just let them flow on by.

And if you're not feeling the sensations,

Just let them flow on by.

And if you're not feeling the sensations,

Just let them flow on by.

Because that's the moment when something's strong enough to take your attention away from the feeling of the breath,

Or if you've fallen asleep,

Or if you get lost in some incredible fantasy,

The moment you realize you've been distracted is the magic moment.

Because that's begin again.

If you have to let go and begin again thousands of times it's fine.

That's the practice.

It's just one breath.

You may notice the rhythm of your breath changing in the course of this meditation session.

You can just allow it to be however it is.

And if you see your attention jumping to the past,

Jumping to the future,

Judgment,

Speculation,

It's alright.

Our practice is to gently let go and simply return.

You can shepherd your attention back to the feeling of the breath.

You can just let go and simply return.

You can just let go and simply return.

You can just let go and simply return.

You can just let go and simply return.

Sometimes you may find yourself leaning forward as though to be getting ready for the very next breath rather than just this one.

If you notice that,

Settle back.

Let the breath come to you.

Sometimes we become bored or disinterested.

We need to come forward a little bit.

See if you can catch the very beginning of the in-breath and the end of it.

The beginning of the out-breath and the end of it.

Let the breath come to you.

Let the breath come to you.

Remember that in letting go of distraction,

The important word is gentle.

We can gently let go.

We can forgive ourselves for having wandered.

With great kindness to ourselves,

We can begin again.

And when you feel ready,

You can open your eyes.

Reviews

Short but powerful! Looking forward to listening to it again soon 🙏

I really love the pauses in between the prompts. Very refreshing

Lovely short breat meditation. Helped me ground in the moment. Thank you

I love Sharon's calm voice, it guides me so well through my breaths.

This was one of the best meditations I’ve EVER done! Thank you so much. The compassion you guided to give myself during the practise was amazing. Thank you 💚💚

So simple and so much relief!! Thank you for the reminder that non-judgment starts with the breath. ❤️

Just what I needed. Lovely guiding, your gentle voice came in just when it was needed to help refocus on the breath. Many thanks 🌸.

Really enjoyed this and how you kept reeling me in gently.!

Simple practice delivered by one of the best in the west.

Always excellent, down to earth. No need for music, just her voice is enough. Meditation practitioners should take note and KISS.

Thanks Sharon! I loved your meditation guidance at the Rubin over the years. I am in California now and live going back virtually to renew my meditation practice and hear your calming voice.

I’m looking for the 20-minute breath meditation mentioned in your book. Is there a new link?

Sehr wohltuend da Konzentration auf das Wesentliche

Helpful, short and sweet meditation. A reminder to give yourself grace with the practice.

Thank you 🙏 such a simple yet powerful practice 💜 definitely one to come back to time and time again ✨

That was great! I think I had a breakthrough this morning. I may have gotten lost in the meditation. Finally! Thank you!!

Perfect amount of guidance and silence! Will be back!

Wow. Some new guidance on breathing I’ve never heard before. “You’re not doing something weird or special” and “it’s just one breath” I will be keeping! ❤️

Thanks! This was so soothing & calming to my hiring soul. I wish to listen to your meditation many times again

I've tried many breathing medications but this one is by far my favorite. So much reassurance and comparisons to better understand the concept. It genuinely helped me.