Find a comfortable posture for meditation.
Take a gentle,
Deep breath in.
And as you exhale,
Close your eyes.
Place your palms on your thighs.
Hands up to open your awareness.
Or facing down to calm the mind.
Take a moment and scan your body.
And relax any tension.
Invite the body to soften.
But let your posture stay stable.
Let your spine rise from the ground of your pelvis.
Draw your chin slightly down and let the back of your neck lengthen.
Invite the facial muscles to relax.
Ensure that the jaw is free of any clenching or tightness.
Invite the throat to relax.
And all the way down the shoulders into the arms.
Let go.
And then finally relax the belly and the back.
And begin to bring your awareness to the tidal rhythms of your breathing.
Focusing on either the base of your throat or your belly.
And just feel your breath passing through you.
The rising and falling of the inhalation and exhalation.
Let your awareness heighten and yet at the same time stay relaxed.
As you tune into the nuances of your breathing,
Feel the quality of your breath.
Is it coarse or jagged?
Smooth?
Quiet?
Is it shallow or deep?
Is your breath stronger on the inhalation or the exhalation?
At the beginning of each breath or at the end?
Once your awareness settles on your breathing,
Begin the concentration part of this meditation.
Without expectation,
Count the duration of your next inhalation.
Count how long it takes you to breathe in.
Then see if you can syncopate your exhalation with the rhythm of your inhalation.
If you inhale for four counts,
Exhale for four counts.
If your breath lengthens naturally,
Follow that.
Let go of any fixed idea of how long your inhalation or exhalation should be.
Just be with the rhythm of your breathing until you feel an even,
Gentle ebb and flow.
If a thought arises,
Come back to the rhythm of your breath.
Ride that rhythm into a state of total presence.
Let your mind quiet like a calm lake in the morning.
Feel the body rising and settling with the breath.
Then simply bring your attention back to your body.
Notice how relaxed it feels.
Bring your awareness back to the mind and notice how calm it feels.
As you take a couple of nice,
Deep cleansing breaths in and out to bring yourself back.
And then allow yourself to take that quality of calm and relaxation with you out into the rest of your day.
When you're ready,
Your eyes will open.
