Welcome to this breath awareness meditation.
I'm Nikki and I'll be guiding you today through a 10-minute breath awareness meditation that is perfect for beginners.
Meditation will help you to be present,
Focused and in touch with what you're thinking and feeling.
And it also will help you to put things more in perspective and be less triggered by events in your daily life.
Now first find a comfortable seat.
This can be cross-legged or you can also sit on your knees if this is more comfortable for you.
While meditating you want to have an active posture as this will help you to breathe better and deeper.
Sitting on a blanket or pillow will help you with this.
Your hands can be resting wherever is comfortable for you.
They can be in your lap or you might want to rest them on your knees.
Taking a moment now to settle in.
Maybe letting any wiggles out.
Now if it feels safe to you,
Closing your eyes.
Otherwise gently letting them open,
Gazing towards the floor.
Starting to relax the face.
Unclench the jaw.
Draw the shoulders back,
Allow them to relax.
Relaxing the belly.
This will help you to breathe deeper.
Letting the arms become heavy.
Letting the legs become heavy.
Taking a moment to feel in towards the body here.
Can you allow it to relax a little bit more?
Starting to become aware of your breath now.
Taking a nice deep and slow breath in,
While making your spine long.
Find if your head is pointing towards the ceiling.
Then a slow and steady breath out.
Relax your shoulders on the exhale.
Routing your sitting bones in towards the floor.
Take another deep breath in.
Feel how the breath is coming through your nostrils.
Expanding your chest and your ribcage.
The air slowly traveling to your belly.
Expanding your belly like a balloon.
Then a deep and steady exhale again.
See if you can make the exhale a bit longer than the inhale this time.
This will tell your body that it is safe.
It is safe to relax now.
You are allowed to let go of anything that is keeping your mind busy.
Anything that happened before this moment.
Anything that might happen after this moment.
It is safe to let go.
Allowing yourself to become present.
Another big breath in.
Feel this inhalation through your whole body.
Feel how it expands the body.
Then exhale to relax.
Deep breath out.
Noticing how you are feeling now.
You might notice that your mind wanders off during this practice.
That is okay.
Just simply observe this and come back to your breath.
Don't identify with these thoughts,
Emotions or feelings.
Like you are watching clouds in the sky.
You simply just let them pass by.
Then allowing yourself to come back to your breath again.
Your breath is your anchor.
Your breath is always there for you.
No matter how you are feeling,
Your breath will always guide you back to the calmness you have inside you.
Every inhale,
Starting to feel more light and light.
On every exhale,
Your sitting bones are sinking more into the floor.
Like the roots of a tree,
They grow deeper and deeper.
While you are relaxing more and more.
Take another deep breath in.
And breathe out.
Now let go of forcing your breath.
Find the natural rhythm of your breath.
Feel how the breath is moving through your body.
In.
And out.
Expanding your belly.
And flattening your belly.
Like waves coming onto shore.
A never ending circle of breath coming in and out.
Simply observing.
No control,
No judgement.
As you sit here for the next short while.
Allow yourself to hear whatever your body,
Mind and heart needs.
Whenever your mind wanders off into stories.
Simply come back to your breath.
Gently becoming more aware of the sounds that are surrounding you again.
Become more aware of my voice.
Starting to deepen your breath once more.
Maybe taking a few deep breaths in and out.
Feeling the movement of the breath in the body.
Becoming aware of your body.
And as we come to the end of our time together today.
Taking a moment to be proud of yourself for spending this time on your well-being.
Congratulations on taking this time for you.
You deserve it.
Soon I'll be counting to five.
If you're ready to return to your day again.
I invite you to become more alert with each count.
On number five you can gently open your eyes.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
