Calm A Busy Mind: Gentle Breath Awareness

Settle a busy mind and reconnect with your body through this gentle guided breath awareness meditation. This practice offers a pause when you feel stressed, distracted or mentally overloaded. You’ll begin by noticing your surroundings, then observe your natural breathing without needing to change it. Using attention and imagination, you’ll explore the breath through each nostril before returning to both together. Practise seated or lying down, with eyes open or closed. A gentle approach to mindfulness, relaxation and finding calm through the breath.

Transcript

Hello and welcome. Welcome to breathing practice. I'm inviting you to find the comfortable position. Can be either seated or lying down on the floor. And regardless of the position you take. Please make sure you are comfortable. Bringing support to you. Cushions, Blankets. Wall behind your back so you can lean on if you see it. Any comfort that you need. Please bring it yourself. Before you continue. Once she's comfortable as possible. Look around the space you're in. Getting your mind. To settle just a tiny bit more. So looking to your left. To your right, You can even turn your head. To those sides, Maybe even turning your head up, Looking over your head. And bringing your chin down to your chest and looking down to your chest. And maybe repeat, Repeat the sequence one more time. Looking to your left. Then to your right. Looking above your head. And then looking down towards your chest. Once you've completed the sequence. You settle your head. Back in the centre. And your gaze. You can gaze at the spot right in front of you. Or, If comfortable, Gently closing your eyes. Internal gaze. Once your gaze is set. Invite your mind to find the breath. Find the breath in your body. Maybe you notice your breath is in your upper body. Maybe in your face. Your neck. In your throat. Maybe in your chest, In your belly. Noticing, Finding your breath. Observing how your body is breathing. Nothing to change, Nothing to fix. Observing. And maybe you even get a bit closer to your breath. Maybe you can even hear the sound of your breath a bit. But if you cannot, That's absolutely fine. You continue with observation. Observation without needing to fix or change your breathing. If you observe. But today use the breath a bit shallow. Or maybe it's on the contrary, It's deep and long. Maybe it's smooth. Or maybe it's bumpy. Maybe there are gaps between inhalation and exhalation. Whatever you notice. To notice with compassion. Without urge to change. To change anything. Observation is enough. Once you observed your breath. My invitation is to come. Close the two breaths. And you send your mind to focus on your nostrils. And your nostrils. And trying to feel how the breath comes in. And how your breath leaves the body. And again, Nothing to change. Simply observe it. Breath comes in. And breath leaves the body. And few more rounds like that. Breath comes in. And breath leaves the body. And if your mind wanders off. That is totally fine. You invite your mind back in. Back to your nostrils. And your body breathing. And then perhaps you invite your mind to focus on the left nostril only. And imagining that you're breathing through your left nostril only. Breathing into your left. And now three left. Imagining breathing through left nostril only. The next 2 rounds. Imagining. Breath coming into your left nostril. And leaves through left nostril and then shifting awareness to your right nostril. Imagining that you're breathing through your right nostril only. Soft and gentle breath comes in through your right nostril. And soft and gentle breath leaves to your right nostril a couple of breaths like that. In through your right. Through your right nostril. In through your right. Out through your right. And repeat. And from your right nostril. Ask your mind to focus on both nostrils at the same time. Feeling the breath coming in through both nostrils. And leaving the body through both nostrils. Soft breath in through both nostrils. And soft breath out through both nostrils. Couple of more rounds like that. In your own time. And then your mind wanders off. You gently invite it back. To breathing. To your nostrils. And then you invite your mind, Your awareness. To shift awareness from nostrils. To the rest of your body. Position you are in. The support that you have. Can be just the floor or surface beneath you. Noticing your toes. Your feet. And gently invite. Couple of movements to your feet, To your toes. Then maybe invite a couple of movements to your knees, To your hips Gently waking up the body, Slowly coming out of the practice. And after the lower body you invite a couple of movements to upper body. Two fingers, Hands, Wrists. The rest of your arms, Shoulders. Your head into your neck. And perhaps offering. Your body. Full stretch, Any stretch that your body needs right now. After stretching the body. Try to get a fuller breath in. And letting it go. And one more. And then gently open your eyes if they were closed or if you were gazing. Again, Looking to your left, To your right. Over your head, Down to your chest, Orienting yourself again around the space you're in. And my invitation to close this practice. Is to pop hands if it's comfortable to any part of your body. Just so you can acknowledge yourself. Acknowledge yourself. For taking this time. To self. Of practicing. Or turning up. For yourself today. And if you can, Offer that gratitude and acknowledgement to others who practice. With you today. Community. Community of practitioners around the world. And as always, My gratitude goes towards you. For trusting me to take you through practice for today. Please look after yourself. Take good care. And I'm looking forward to connecting. In my other Practices and Insight timer.