Mindfulness of Breathing

A led practice inviting us to get curious about the sensations of breathing, and not worry too much about those pesky thoughts!

Transcript

So for a moment just noticing what it's like to pause and introduce space.

So as the talking and thinking drops away,

What's here?

What's here now?

Allowing the breath to naturally take awareness into the body.

Becoming aware of the places where the body meets the floor and through the floor the ground,

The earth.

If you'd like,

You could even imagine roots growing down from those points of contact into the earth,

Helping to hold you here.

And through those roots,

As you breathe in,

Drawing up the qualities of the ground.

So qualities like stillness,

Spaciousness,

Steadiness.

And then if you're sitting,

Allowing the upper body to rise up from the firm foundation of the lower body.

To be held in space,

Moving towards the sky.

And if you're laying down,

Just aware of the whole top of the body facing the sky.

Having a sense of opening to that infinite spaciousness above.

And for a moment just checking if there's anywhere in the body where you're holding any tension.

Seeing if you can't use the breath to help you release that tension.

Softening around any hardness.

Opening around any contraction.

Often we hold tension in predictable places like the jaw,

The throat,

The shoulders,

The back,

The hips.

You probably know your unique place.

Maybe just go there and check in,

How is it now?

And then for a few moments just opening to sounds.

Allowing the soundscape to hold whatever sounds want to arise and pass in that space.

Breathing in and out.

You can train the mind to stop blocking out sound and actually get curious about it,

How it is.

Begin to very gently turn your awareness now towards the breath.

Like picking up a thread.

And following it.

Letting the breath bring your awareness more and more deeply into the body,

Into sensations that can be felt as you breathe.

Like watching waves crashing on a beach.

So you have probably already noticed thinking a habit that we're very familiar with,

Possibly intoxicated by,

Identified with.

There's nothing wrong with thinking.

In the same way that there's nothing wrong with sounds or physical sensations,

They just happen.

Thoughts just come.

So for the next few moments,

I just want to invite you to just notice if you're thinking and then just setting a clear intention to come back,

Come back to the breath,

Come back to the body.

What's happening now?

You may even find it useful when you notice thinking to just label the thinking and then come back.

So you might say to yourself,

Thinking,

Or you might want to get more specific,

Planning,

Fantasizing,

Worrying,

Obsessing,

Replaying.

And then just come back,

Find the breath.

Notice sensations.

So there's specific things we can get interested in about the breath.

So one thing is we could get interested in the temperature of the breath,

Temperature of the air as it comes and goes.

Could get interested in the texture of the breath.

Is it coarse or fine?

It's depth,

It's duration,

Where you can feel it most.

No two breaths are the same.

So when we recognize thinking and come back to the breath,

We can get curious about its qualities.

How is it?

What's happening now?

Okay.

So whatever's happening now you could get interested and curious about.

If you've lost the thread of the breath,

How did that happen?

What was your process?

You might even be able to trace back the thought train.

And then come back,

Come right back to the breath,

Right back to the body,

Sensations in the body.

Sensitive to the body.

Calming the body as you breathe.

Calming the body as you breathe.

Calming the body as you breathe.

Notice if there's any idea of getting it right.

See if you can drop expectations just now.

So beyond right and wrong,

There's just being here.

And what's happening now?

What's happening now?

When the body begins to relax,

How is that?

When the mind begins to settle,

How is that?

So for the last few minutes of this practice,

The invitation is to drop any effort that you're making.

Stop any striving,

Trying to get somewhere.

Maybe take a few deeper breaths.

You might even decide you want to slouch a bit in the posture.

You could open the eyes,

Remaining with a soft focus.

You could put the hands,

Palms up on the knees or wherever's comfortable.

Just to encourage a sense of openness,

Receptivity,

Letting go,

Dropping back.

Just sit here for a few minutes,

Just absorbing the practice without needing to do anything.

Recently we've learnt something.

Time doesn't wait,

But i'm the f DM.

Stop what you see,

Don't you see?

Reviews

A sensitive and spacious leading, thank you Singhashri.

Very helpful, with a gentle approach. Thank you

Such an amazing meditation. So calming and relaxing but just feels totally natural.
The instructors voice and approach really make me feel at ease and safe.

Subtle clear with lots of space between guidance to drop into the body.

Lovely voice. Just the right balance between instruction and silence, thank you 🙏

I am grateful for this meditation. I am grateful for the breath. I am grateful for your guidance. Namaste.

Nice calm practice. Liked all the silence. Namaste.

I enjoyed the simplicity of this meditation, and the ease. The birds outside my window, the cat running and playing upstairs, the clock ticking, my breath, the feel of my
clothes, my bare feet on the rug, the cushion beneath me; all joined with your group, where you were recording. It was very nice being with everything, unrushed, breathing and being alive, together. Thank you for sharing this with me, and with all of us here. Blessings to you in your practice, and in your life, too. I’m grateful for you.