Mindfulness Of Breathing

Please join me for this beautiful foundational practice of being mindful of the breath. We start it by settling and grounding. In the spirit of the Radical Embrace, we welcome everything that is present here and leave nothing out. We allow our breath and awareness to meet each other and, if and when the mind starts wandering, the suggestion is that we might just be outside of our window of tolerance - the invitation is then to resource ourselves until we are back within what is tolerable. As we deepen, we allow ourselves to enjoy any moments of release, pleasure and joy and we stay with or resource ourselves when challenging periods come. Finally, we begin to turn the mind in on itself and become aware of thoughts, emotions, images, memories arriving in the heart-mind. We sit openly in awareness.

This practice has prolonged periods of explorative meditative silence and, as such, it is best suited for regular meditators.

Transcript

Do find a comfortable posture for you for this time of day and how your body is just now. And then we'll just spend a little bit of time supporting settling. And we'll do this with the breath. So firstly, If it's comfortable to just take three slightly deeper breaths here. And with the out-breath here, Just really noticing the dropping down. You might even make some noises here that feel good to you, Like ah. And exaggerating the exhalation at the end, Just drawing the navel up and in. And then allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm. Spending a little bit of time noticing points of contact with the floor and allowing yourself to be supported by the ground. Reconnecting with the Earth. And it's holding. Studying qualities. And in the spirit of the radical embrace, As we ground here, We can also invite all of what's here to be with us in the meditation so we don't have to leave anything out. Mindfulness of breathing includes all of our experience, Body, Heart, Mind, Emotions, Sensations. Whatever's here. So we can set an intention to remain radically inclusive throughout the practice. And then just spending a little bit of time also noticing how the whole upper body rises into space from the support of the ground. Or if you're laying down, Just gently opening and softening into the space above. So here we are in this body, On this earth. In space. As we are. And one thing that we can be sure is always happening. Is the breath. Or as long as we're alive, Or as long as we're here, This constant rhythm of air coming and going in the body. So I'm going to invite us to notice how. Simple it is when we allow the breath. To be known in awareness as it is. That's all we have to do. Allowing breathing and awareness of breathing to find each other. And one way we can help this to happen is to just bring in a little bit of. Curiosity about how it is. How is this breath just now? So we'll just spend a couple of minutes exploring the breath in all its depth, All its qualities, All its textures. Directing awareness here and attending. Lovingly to the breath. As you're probably familiar. The mind will begin to throw up thoughts, Images, Memories. Worries, Ruminations. Analyses. Prejudicisms. So the suggestion here is that it could be that When the mind starts to take over like that and we get caught up in it, Maybe we're a little bit outside of what's tolerable in the practice. So the invitation is to just do anything that can resource you to support the system to settle again. So that could be. Coming back to the ground. Could be self-touch. Hands on heart or belly or anywhere else that feels supportive. Could be opening the eyes and just having a little look around. Could be holding or touching something soft or solid. It gives you a sense of safety. And when you're ready, Just coming back very gently to the breath. Reattending. Redirecting, Reattending as many times as you need to. And gently allowing the breath to support a deepening into the body. A deepening into the felt sense. How is it? Becoming sensitive to this whole breathing, Ever-changing body. Countless sensations coming and going as we breathe. Sensitive to the whole body I breathe in. Sensitive to the whole body. I breathe out. Calming the whole body I breathe in. Calming the whole body. I breathe out. Recognizing even just the very beginning glimmers. Of release, Softening, Ease. That awareness of the breath can bring. Finding those glimmers and resting there. Breathing with any sensations that have the taste of freedom. The very beginnings of places of holding or contraction beginning to open, Soften. Could feel like tingling. One. Energy bubbling up somewhere. Or just the simple satisfaction of feeling a little bit more heavy on the earth, A little bit more plugged into the ground and settled here. Or a little bit more expansive. Able to take your space as you breathe. Not to worry if you're not in touch with anything that feels like that, Just staying with the breath is enough. It might be enough to be simply satisfied with the breath as it is. The relief of being able to come back to it, Rest in it for a little while. Or another thing that might happen is as the body settles, Something a little bit more difficult might start to bubble up like this. A sadness or a frustration. Or confusion. So again, There's an invitation to pendulate to a resource anytime you need to. And you might also just see what it's like to breathe with what's here. The breath itself can be a resource. Awareness itself can be a resource. If you are in touch with pleasant sensations that have the taste of freedom, The invitation is to allow yourself to really feel resourced by those sensations. Let them nourish. And fill you. Tuning into their healing properties. The yes in feeling them. Allowing them to be here for as long as they last, Allowing them to spread and grow in whatever way they want to. Allowing energy to move and flow in the body, Even beyond the boundaries of the body. And then again, Just looking for any glimmers of contentment. Is peace. Joy even. That might be here as we rest in these. Sensations of goodness. Any sense of being okay, No matter what's happening. And again, Just resourcing yourself with the energy of that joy or okayness. Allowing yourself to really Be with it fully. As it is. Again, Breathing with it. Alongside it. One thing I like to bring in here is the central channel. So if that works for you, You might imagine this channel of energy stretching from navel to crown. Deep blue in colour, Full of infinite space. And full of energy, Full of bliss energy. You can imagine you're breathing along the central channel. Allowing yourself to feel that energy and enjoy it. Free to hang out with these sensations that have the taste of freedom and any joy that comes from that for as long as you'd like. Carry that through into the next stage which is to begin to turn the mind in on itself. So beginning to turn towards What's arriving in the heart mind? Thoughts, Emotions, Images, Memories. Like waves on the surface of the sea. Simply arising and passing away. You must steady your mind. All of this is free to come and go without necessarily hooking us in. Might notice a hindrance here. Or maybe a few hindrances, Seeing what it's like to simply allow them to be here. Breathing with them, But not getting caught up in them. So I'll just give you a couple minutes to play around with that. What is the mind up to? Can we witness it? Third agenda. Sensitive to the mind breathing in. Sensitive to the mind, Breathing out. It's happening now And now. It's happening now. And now. You're tired. Know the tired mind. How is it? If there's aversion to something, Know the aversive mind. How is it? If you've gotten intoxicated with planning or ruminating. Know the clinging mind. How is it? If you're restless or bored, Anxious or confused, How is it? Making space for whatever's here, Breathing with it. Seeing how sensitive this mind is. How open. How clearly everything can be known, Even confusion can be known clearly as confusion. So there's an invitation here if you're able to look into the mind in this way just now and see what it's getting up to to just notice any even very subtle glimmer of the positivity of seeing something clearly like that. So just notice a little glimmer of a gladdening that can come from, Wow. Look at that, That's what my mind gets up to. I can see it clearly. The relief of not getting caught up. Even if it's just for a moment. Flattening the mind. I breathe in. Gladdening the mind, I breathe out. What's happening right now. I just want to invite a full dropping of any effort you might be making. Comfortable just taking a few deeper breaths here. Resting back in a very broad, Open awareness. Warm, Receptive, Loving. Allowing. Of all of what's here coming and going in the six senses. You might even rest back a bit in the posture. It might be interesting to see what it's like to put the hands palm up in the lap. And even opening the eyes with a soft focus. Trying on your best sea anemone. Soft, Supple being gently swaying in the warm sun in a nutrient-rich tide pool. It's marinating in the benefits of the practice. Otherwise known as just sitting. And then just trying to wiggle fingers and toes, Maybe rotate wrists and ankles. Stretch arms and legs Rock, Sway, Massage, Pinch, Caress.

Reviews

Thank you very much for guidance that have good balance between talking and silence 🙏🏾🪷