Welcome to this meditation practice.
My name is Teresa,
And today's practice is going to be on mindfulness of the breath.
So in this practice,
We're not trying to manipulate or change the breath in any way.
It's more opening to the breath exactly as it is in this moment.
So to begin the practice,
I invite you to find a comfortable posture.
You can sit sitting in a chair,
Sitting on a cushion or a bench,
Or if you're feeling tired and need to lay down,
That's always an option too.
Closing the eyes if that feels comfortable or just softening the gaze and looking a few feet in front of you.
Beginning to allow the body and the mind to come together in this new moment.
In this moment that we've never had before,
We'll never have again.
This moment that is worthy of our attention,
An eternal present moment.
And we'll start with a few slightly deeper breaths.
Breathing in and then on the exhale,
Letting go,
Letting go of any tension in the body.
Maybe softening the eyes,
Softening the jaw.
Opening an invitation for the mind and the body to be fully here,
Awake and at ease.
Beginning to allow the breath to find its natural rhythm.
And noticing what that rhythm feels like.
Noticing the duration of each breath.
You might notice the depth of the inhale,
The length of the exhale.
And beginning to notice where in your body you feel the breath.
Where is it the easiest to feel in the body?
Sometimes we feel it in the nose with the inhale and the exhale.
Sometimes it's more in the back of the throat,
Or maybe in the rise and fall the chest or the belly.
And sometimes it's the sense of the whole body breathing.
Noticing what it's like for you.
Where are you feeling the breath in the body?
And as you notice this felt sense and connect with it,
Beginning to allow the attention to follow the breath from the beginning of the inhale to the end of the inhale,
And the beginning of the exhale to the end of the exhale.
One breath at a time.
Bringing this quality of curiosity to this experience of breathing.
What is it like being you in this moment,
Breathing just this one breath?
And you might notice that the mind takes over and thoughts start to come into awareness.
And this is just part of the process.
There's nothing wrong here.
The practice is to gently return to just this breath,
This inhale,
This exhale.
Feeling it in the body.
And if it's helpful,
Giving the mind a little anchor with words,
You might mentally whisper breathing in as you breathe in,
And mentally whisper breathing out as you breathe out.
Or you can mentally whisper inhale,
Or just in,
And exhale,
Or out.
Bringing the mind and the body together through the breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Remembering the words of Thich Nhat Hanh,
Breathing in,
I am aware I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I am aware that I am breathing out.
Dwelling in this present moment,
I know it is a beautiful moment.
One breath at a time,
Noticing when the mind has wandered,
Gentle return.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Connecting with the felt sense of each breath,
Riding the wave of the breath.
Sometimes we might even notice the space between breaths.
As we get curious and slow down,
Rest our attention on the breath,
We can breathe in and notice a slight pause,
Breathe out,
Slight pause.
Connecting to every part of this one breath.
And if there's difficulty in staying connected to this felt sense,
I invite you to gently place a hand right below the ribcage on the belly.
This region of the solar plexus and feeling the belly rise and fall against the hand.
This gentle movement resting the hand on the belly and sensing the rise and fall with each breath.
And you can keep the hand there if you've placed it on the belly or let it rest on your lap or returning to your normal posture whenever you feel ready.
And I invite you for these last few moments,
Bringing a soft smile to the corners of the mouth and the eyes.
Sending this message to the body and the entirety of the nervous system that you're safe.
Resting in this present moment,
Connected to just this breath.
Nowhere else we have to be,
Nothing else we have to do,
Just this breath.
Breathing in,
I am aware that I am breathing in,
Breathing out,
I am aware that I am breathing out.
Dwelling in this present moment,
I know it is a beautiful moment.
Taking a couple more mindful,
Intentional breaths.
Remembering that in any moment in your day,
You can return to just this breath if the mind begins to wander.
If we're swept away into the future or the past,
Just a gentle reminder,
Anchoring the attention,
The awareness,
And the felt sense of one breath.
This portal back to eternal presence.
Whenever you're ready,
You might gently move the body,
Opening the eyes if the eyes were closed.
Thank you so much for meditating with me and many blessings.
