Let's begin by taking a moment to settle into a comfortable position,
Making whatever adjustments we need to feel just a little bit more comfortable,
While also making any adjustments that allow us to be more alert,
Upright,
And grounded.
Becoming aware of our body sitting right here,
Right now.
We're sitting and we know that we're sitting.
We can feel our body sitting.
Feeling the weight of the body on the chair or cushion,
Or if you're standing,
The weight of your body and your feet on the ground.
Feeling the position of each part of the body,
Allowing the body to settle,
Approaching stillness.
And as we settle,
Seeing if we can become more and more aware of the breath.
It can be helpful at the beginning of a practice to exaggerate the breathing.
Try taking deeper breaths.
If the mind is particularly agitated,
Taking longer out breaths to calm down the system.
If it helps,
You can take a few deep breaths to help you connect with the breath,
And it also helps to continue to settle the body.
And wherever you notice the breath in the body,
Wherever the sensation of breathing is most vivid or easy to rest your attention on,
Allowing that one area to become the anchor of attention.
A place we're going to come back to again and again in the body,
Where we can feel very clearly the sensations of breathing in and breathing out.
Taking a few moments now just to choose this area.
It might be the rise and fall of the belly or the chest.
Perhaps the feeling of air passing through the nostril,
The throat,
Or anywhere else you experience the breath in the body.
Bringing a childlike curiosity or sense of wonder to the sensations.
What does it actually feel like from moment to moment?
Feeling the body breathing itself,
Becoming a witness to experience.
Witnessing the cycle of breath from the very beginning of the in-breath,
All the way to the end of the in-breath,
The moment of transition towards the out-breath,
The moment the out-breath begins,
And then moment by moment all the way till its end.
And then witnessing the cycle begin again,
As if for the first time.
And you might try using a mental label with the in-breath and with the out-breath when you notice the very beginning of the next in-breath saying to yourself in or in-breath.
And at the beginning of the next out-breath attaching a label out or out-breath.
Staying in touch with the sensation of breathing,
Whether the sensation is the movement of the belly or the feeling of air going in and out of the nostrils or any other sensation,
This will be the anchor of our attention,
Even while we may be labeling or noting other thoughts or experiences in the background.
If you notice that attention wanders or if you notice yourself caught up in a distraction by this thought,
This sensation,
This emotion,
Or maybe physical discomfort,
Or maybe a sound,
Whatever arises and steals your attention,
This is the opportunity to notice it,
Label it,
And let it go.
It can be a general label like thinking,
Feeling,
Hearing.
Or you may use a more descriptive label like planning,
Worrying,
Remembering,
Anticipating.
And once you've labeled the distraction,
Return your attention to the breath,
The body breathing,
Returning attention to the full experience of each breath.
In,
Out.
In,
Out.
And perhaps the mental label.
In out.
No matter where the mind wanders to,
Giving it a label,
Then we let it be and return attention to the breath.
And perhaps bringing a sense of curiosity,
What does it feel like to be me breathing right now?
As though this next in-breath was the very first one,
Really being there,
Really being present for the whole duration of the in-breath.
And this next out-breath was the very last one,
Being aware of and connected to the entirety of the next out-breath,
Savoring it,
Enjoying all of the sensations that accompany each breath.
And when the mind wanders or a different experience takes up our attention,
Label whatever comes in the way with a sense of curiosity and without judgment.
When my mind wanders,
I know it's wandering.
When I breathe in,
I know that I'm breathing in.
When I breathe out,
I know that I'm breathing out.
And so this is how we practice,
Bringing awareness to our moment-to-moment experience,
Allowing breath to be the focus of our attention,
And when the mind wanders,
Giving it a label and returning our full attention to the breath.
In,
Out,
Distraction,
Noticing,
Labeling,
Returning attention,
In,
Out.
Director says nothing,
But okay.
And as this meditation comes to an end,
Knowing that the meditation is ending,
Carrying with us this connection to our moment-to-moment experience.
