Hello and welcome to this breathing practice to help calm the mind.
In today's practice,
We're going to cultivate a sense of calm and mindfulness by directing our attention to the natural rhythms of our breath.
You know,
The breath is a powerful tool for helping to calm the mind,
Calm the nervous system.
The breath is something that's always with us.
It can serve as a reminder to be present in this moment.
And so I love learning practices that help me access or bring awareness to the breath.
By focusing on the breath and anchoring into the here and now with the breath,
It can help us reduce stress and anxiety.
So let's begin our practice.
You might find a comfortable position where your eyes are closed or you have a soft gaze.
And in this position,
See if you can be both relaxed and alert.
Begin by taking a few deep breaths in.
You can try inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
And go at a pace that's comfortable for you.
So just breathe as deep as you can and notice the sensations of the breath as it enters in your body and as it leaves.
So after you've taken a few deep breaths,
Just allow your breath to return to its natural state.
So you're not bringing so much attention or effort to breathing.
Just allow your breathing to be as it is while still maintaining your awareness on the breath.
And as you continue to settle into this moment,
See if you can bring your awareness to the sensation of the air as the air comes into your nostrils.
And just notice as the air enters into your body through the nose,
Just notice that maybe coolness or whatever sensations you're experiencing,
Whether there's a coolness as the breath comes in or a warmth as you exhale.
Just kind of noticing that right at the tip of the nose,
The nostrils there.
You may even notice the sound of your breathing.
That's something that you can bring awareness to as well.
You also might bring awareness as the breath is entering into the nasal cavities and just through the head space there.
See if you can notice where the breath is coming and going through the different channels in your head.
And then you might notice as the air passes through your throat and your neck area,
Just noticing any subtle movements or sensations in the back of the throat and the neck.
And if your mind wanders,
That's fine.
Just acknowledge that there's thoughts there and see if you can bring your focus back to the breath.
You might bring awareness now to more of the chest area,
The upper chest,
And notice the rise and fall of the chest as you breathe in and out.
You might go deeper now,
Noticing further down in the body,
In the torso,
Just as the air is coming and going.
See if your belly wants to fill up a little bit with air and just allow the movements to be gentle and natural.
Just notice how your body is being breathed right now.
And you might bring awareness to this rhythm of the breath,
Noticing that inhale and exhale,
They actually might be different lengths.
Remember,
There's no right or wrong way for you to be breathing right now.
Just notice it as it is.
And as you're bringing awareness to the breath in the body,
You may notice some tension or tightness in different parts of the body.
So you might use the breath as a way to release some of that tension.
So you might imagine or sense on the inhale a collecting of that tension,
And on the out-breath,
On the exhale,
See if you can allow your body to release that tightness,
Release that tension on that out-breath.
And again,
If your mind is wandering and thoughts are coming,
Just simply acknowledge that and let it go.
Let the thoughts just run and be released.
And gently return your attention to the breath,
Remembering that it's in these moments of awareness when we realize we were caught up in thought.
Returning to the breath,
Returning to the focus of our practice is a pathway to create more mindfulness and strengthen us.
And as you're breathing,
You might bring awareness to the stillness between breaths.
So notice if there is a pause,
Short or long pause,
Between each breath.
So as we near the end of this meditation,
You might take a moment to appreciate the effort you've put into this practice today.
And you might express some gratitude for your body,
For the breath that you're breathing,
And for this time to practice today.
So when you're ready,
You can gradually begin to deepen your breath.
Take a few more deep breaths in,
Bringing more oxygen,
More air into the body.
And you're bringing a sense of movement and energy back into your body.
So you might gently wiggle your fingers or your toes,
And make any other small movements that you feel are right for you.
And when you're ready,
You can slowly open your eyes,
Taking in the space around you.
And just stay here just for a moment,
Or as long as you need,
Just to enjoy this moment after your meditation.
Just taking in,
Being present in the world now.
I just want to say,
Well done in practicing today.
However you were able to show up today in your practice,
It was enough,
And you are enough.
Thank you so much for joining me today in this practice.
