So we're just going to do a gentle practice using our breath,
Using our breath as an anchor for our mind's attention.
So perhaps to begin,
I invite you to just take a couple of consciously deeper breaths.
Really using those deeper breaths to draw your attention towards the breath.
What I'm going to guide you through is a practice where you will see if you can direct your mind's attention just to focus on the breath.
So beginning by bringing all of your attention to the area of your head and your face.
And as you breathe,
Bring your attention to the breath as you experience it in the area of the head and face.
Perhaps see if you can draw your senses to what you're experiencing when you breathe.
Perhaps noticing the temperature of air at your nostrils.
Perhaps noticing the movement of air in your nostrils,
Maybe your throat.
And just seeing whether you can gently allow your attention to be aware only of your breath.
No need to change your breath.
No need for your breath to be any particular way.
Gently allow it to be as it is.
With your mind simply aware of how it feels in the area of your face and head.
Breathing in and breathing out.
When your mind becomes distracted by thoughts or sounds,
Simply notice you've been distracted and redirect your attention very gently back to the breath.
Mindfulness is not about clearing your mind.
And it's not about hanging on to your focus.
Mindfulness is about being aware of where your attention is at any time.
And then choosing where you place your attention.
So simply breathing and inviting your attention to be aware of breathing.
Noticing temperature.
Notice the sensation associated with air moving.
And notice if you can be aware of the general energy in your body,
Where is your energy focused?
How can you feel your energy?
You may feel just a sense of busyness or activity.
You may feel tingling sensation.
Or you may not be aware of anything at all and that is okay.
But it may be that your energy is in the area of your head.
Very often when you do something new,
There's lots of thinking involved.
When you meet new people,
There's thoughts,
Anxieties.
Notice if those are manifesting themselves in a feeling of a busy head.
And this busy head may make it difficult to keep your focus on your breath and that's okay.
Sometimes our minds can be a little bit like a snow globe.
They're vigorously shaken.
And even after we stop shaking,
When we've asked our body to come to a stop,
The snow still has to settle and that takes a little longer.
So just following your breath in and out.
Gently aware of your own snow globe.
Now on your next in breath,
I invite you to follow that in breath further down,
This time arriving at your chest,
Your lungs.
Now experiencing your breath here,
What do you notice as you breathe here?
Perhaps this time there's movement,
Rise and fall of your chest.
Maybe the feeling of the expansion of your ribs,
The side of your body.
Notice what it's like drawing your attention to this part of your body.
Still using the breath as a focus.
That's about breathing here in the chest.
Again when the mind gets distracted,
Which it will,
Congratulate yourself for noticing that you've been distracted and simply return your attention back to the breath.
In and out.
Nothing else to do.
Nowhere to be,
No one to respond to.
Simply breathing.
And experiencing that breath in the chest.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Just this.
And perhaps being gently aware of where your energy is now.
Perhaps it's still in your head.
Perhaps you still don't feel anything.
Or perhaps it's moved.
Be aware of that.
And aware of your breath.
And once again on the next in breath I invite you to follow your breath once more.
This time take your breath all the way down to the bottom of your belly.
And bring your attention this time to breathing and how you are experiencing breathing from the bottom of your belly.
Once again being curious about what you notice breathing here.
Movement.
Motion and contraction.
Perhaps pressure.
You're breathing all the time but what do you notice when you pay close attention to breathing?
How is it to breathe in this part of the body?
And once again noticing your attention,
Noticing your energy.
Where is your energy?
Nothing in particular you need to be experiencing.
There's no right or wrong.
There's no rule book.
Mindfulness is simply being aware of what's here.
So breathing in and breathing out from the belly.
What do you notice?
So now I invite you to let go of that focus on the belly and see if you can gently expand that awareness.
Expand it to take in your whole body.
Still focusing on the breath but this time seeing how you experience each breath through your whole body.
Maybe your attention is drawn to one particular place.
Maybe you're able to have a sense of your whole body breathing.
Notice how that feels.
And noticing the energy once again.
How is your snow globe now?
Has there been any settling?
Or is it very active and busy?
As always in mindfulness there's no particular outcome.
So there's no success or failure associated with practicing mindfulness.
However you feel and whatever you have experienced during this practice is exactly as it is.
And that's the mindfulness.
