During this meditation you will develop the skill of using slow diaphragmatic breathing to bring deep relaxation to your body and calm to your mind.
If you just start out by taking your meditation posture,
Either seated or lying down,
Then simply start to be aware of what it feels like just to be here in the room.
Tune into any sounds around you and allow the flow,
The change within the sound to hold your attention.
Now we're going to learn to take some softening breaths using our diaphragm.
Placing your palms below your belly button,
Fingers lightly touching in the middle.
It's helpful to press in slightly so you can feel the movement of your breathing.
Now to breathe in,
Slowly extend the lower part of your abdomen away from your body.
Notice how it lifts your palms and slowly lower it back again to allow the breath to go out.
To breathe in,
Slowly extend the lower part of your abdomen away from your body.
And to breathe out,
Slowly lower it back again,
Keeping this movement gentle,
Free from strain.
Repeat it a few times to get a feeling of this movement.
Notice how extending the lower part of your abdomen away from your body draws the breath in through your nose.
Notice how lowering it back again makes the breath go out through your nose.
Think of this movement as like a handle on a pump.
As you slowly extend it outwards,
The breath draws in.
As you slowly lower it back again,
The breath goes out.
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Now we're going to learn to take a full softening breath.
Leaving one palm below your belly button,
Place the other on the top of your chest.
Starting the breath in your belly,
Pushing your ribs out slightly and bringing the breath up to the top of your chest,
Filling you up and slowly allowing that breath out to relax.
Taking another breath in,
Starting the breath in your belly,
Moving it up through your ribs to the top of your chest,
Lifting you up and slowly allowing the breath out,
Allowing your shoulders to drop,
Your chest,
Your upper back,
Relax.
Slowly in,
Belly,
Ribs,
Chest and slowly out and relax,
Relaxing with that out breath.
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Now we're going to learn to take complete softening breaths without using our hands.
Now taking a breath in,
Featuring it starting in your belly,
Moving it up through your ribs into the top of your chest,
Filling you up and then allowing with the breath out,
Your shoulders to drop,
Your chest,
Your upper back.
Slowly breathing in,
Belly,
Ribs,
Chest,
Lungs filling like a balloon and slowly allowing the breath out,
Soften,
Relax with that out breath.
Breath comes in,
Breathing out,
Relax.
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We're going to allow the breathing to happen naturally now,
Not controlling the breathing in any way.
As you release your breathing,
Feel that breath flow freely and naturally within your body.
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As the breathing calms down,
It becomes more gentle,
More subtle.
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Notice how calming this movement is,
The calmness of the natural breathing within your body.
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Feel this natural breathing within your belly.
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Can you notice the effect that this breath has on your body?
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Can you notice the calm that it brings to your mind?
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Notice how you can borrow the calm of this breathing.
Every time this belly breath goes out,
You can allow it to calm you.
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And becoming aware of any sounds around you,
Allowing the sounds to come into you.
And when you're ready you can gently open your eyes.
Thank you for spending this time meditating with me.
Take care of yourself and have a wonderful day.
