The purpose of this meditation is to allow you to focus on the sensations of your breathing and to become aware of the present moment.
To get started,
Let's get seated comfortably with our back straight but not rigid and our shoulders pulling down and away from our ears.
Likewise,
You can also lay down for this meditation if you would prefer.
Let's start now by taking a nice slow breath in through your nose and then slowly letting it out through your mouth.
And as you let it out through your mouth,
Let any tension you sense in your body diminish and release.
We'll do another nice slow breath in through the nose.
Again,
Slowly letting it out through the mouth and letting any residual tension diminish and release.
We'll do one more nice slow breath in through the nose.
Slowly letting it out through your mouth,
Letting your eyes gently close or if you prefer softly gaze ahead.
And let your breathing just settle into its natural rhythm,
Its natural state.
Turn your attention inward to the sensations of your breathing.
As you follow your in breath all the way in and you follow your out breath all the way out.
Noticing those sensations,
Following the air in as it comes in through your nose,
Travels down your windpipe,
Fills your lungs.
Then following it out up through your windpipe,
Out your nose.
Now when thoughts arise,
Which they'll do,
Go ahead and acknowledge them,
Label them if you choose.
And then let them drift away,
Much like a cloud in the sky.
And escort your focus back to your breathing.
As you follow your in breath all the way in and you follow your out breath all the way out.
Noticing your unique rhythm and flow.
Noticing if your in breath is long or short,
Shallow or deep.
Then noticing your out breath,
If it's long or short.
Follow that rhythm and flow of your breathing.
Notice the spot where you sense your breathing the strongest.
Whether it's the edge of your nose,
Whether it's your throat,
Your windpipe,
Whether it's your chest and your back as they expand.
As you breathe out,
Notice where you notice and sense your out breath the strongest.
It could be the same or it could be different.
Just notice.
Tuning in to the sensations of your breathing.
Tuning in to the rhythm and the pattern of your breathing.
Noticing those sensations.
Following your in breath all the way in and following your out breath all the way out.
Bringing your attention and your focus now to the sensations in your feet.
If you're seated in a chair and your feet are resting on the ground,
Perhaps you notice the sensations of that contact with the ground.
That rooting you to the surface you're on.
And if you're seated in a cushion,
Perhaps you notice where your feet are making contact with the ground.
Now let's bring our attention to our lower legs,
Our shins and our calves.
Noticing the sensations there.
And if you're seated in a cushion and your legs are crossed over,
Perhaps you notice the sensations where they meet.
Where they cross each other.
Now bring your attention to your knees.
Just noticing the sensations on your knees.
If your hands are resting on your knees,
Perhaps you notice the sensations of that contact.
And now bring your sensations,
Your focus to the sensations in your upper legs,
Your thighs and your quads.
If you're seated in a chair you may notice where your quads are making contact with the seat.
If you're seated on a cushion or on the floor,
You may notice that too.
Noticing the sensations in your thighs and your quads.
Perhaps noticing that gentle pull of gravity grounding you to the surface you're on.
And that bring your attention to your glutes and your hips.
If you're seated in a chair,
Noticing the sensations in your hips.
If you're on a cushion with your legs crossing over,
Noticing that set of sensations.
Letting your hips open and release any tightness or tension in the hips.
Let the sound of the chime that you periodically hear help bring you into the present moment.
Now I invite you to bring your attention to your lower back in your belly area.
Noticing the sensations there.
Perhaps noticing how as you breathe in your lower back and belly expand and as you breathe out how they release and soften.
Tuning into those sensations.
Perhaps tuning into that area of your sacral chakra right there in the center of your belly.
Just noticing the energy there.
Now I invite you to bring your attention to your upper back in your chest area.
Noticing the sensations as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Perhaps noticing how your chest expands and rises and your back expands as you breathe in.
Then noticing that natural release and softening as you breathe out.
Tuning into the center of your chest,
Location of your heart chakra.
Letting it open up and be receptive.
As you follow your breathing in and you follow your breathing out,
Notice those sensations.
Notice the rhythm,
Notice the flow.
Now let's bring our focus to the sensations in our shoulders.
Letting the shoulders pull down and away from our ears.
Noticing the sensations there.
Then bringing your attention down to your upper arms.
Noticing the sensations there.
Perhaps the sensation of clothing against your skin.
Noticing the sensations now in your lower arms.
And if your arms are resting in your lap,
Perhaps noticing where they're making contact there.
And now the sensations in your hands and your fingers.
Just tuning into those sensations.
There's no need to make any changes,
Just tune into those sensations.
Now I invite you to bring your attention to the sensations in your neck.
That's a part of the body that carries a lot of our energy from the day.
Noticing the sensations in your neck.
As you breathe out,
Let any tightness or tension you notice or sense in your neck release and diminish.
And now let's bring our attention to our jaw and our mouth.
Noticing the sensations in our jaw.
Any tightness in the jaw as you breathe out,
Just let it release and soften.
I find letting the tip of my tongue rest against the upper part of my front teeth helps release and soften my jaw.
Letting a slight smile form on my lips.
Just noticing those sensations in your mouth and your jaw.
Now let's bring our attention to our eyes,
Noticing the sensations in our eyes.
If our eyes are closed,
Perhaps we notice the pattern of light dancing on our eyelids.
If our eyes are closed and you notice any tightness or squinting or tension in the eyes,
Let your out breath be a way of releasing that.
And if your eyes are just softly gazing ahead,
Notice the pattern of light in front of you.
Now let's bring our sensations to our forehead,
Especially that spot slightly above but between the eyebrows.
That area of our third eye.
Notice the sensations there.
If there's any furrowing of the brow or tightness there,
Go ahead and release it as you breathe out.
Letting that third eye area open up and be receptive.
Tuning into the sensations in that forehead.
Now let's bring our attention to the crown of our head.
Noticing any sensations there,
Perhaps noticing any air movement.
Keeping our attention focused on those physical sensations as we follow our breathing in,
Follow our breathing out.
Letting the sound of the chime help keep you in the present moment.
Now I invite you to broaden your focus to the edge of where you,
Your being,
Meets the space that surrounds you.
Noticing the sensations along your edge.
Noticing that edge,
That perimeter between you,
The room you're in,
The space you're around.
Letting any sounds that are in that room or that space just gently wash over you.
Letting any air movement just gently glide over you.
Keeping your attention focused on the sensations of the moment.
With no place else to be,
Nothing else to do,
But be here and now,
Fully present in the moment.
Just noticing the sensations along that edge between you and the space that surrounds you.
Following your in-breath all the way in,
Following your out-breath all the way out.
Just letting yourself be present.
For the next minute or two,
Sitting in silence as you follow your breathing in and follow your breathing out.
With your attention focused on the physical sensations,
We'll just sit silently.
And when you hear the next set of chimes,
Just gradually at your own pace let your eyes open.
Letting your attention focus on the sensations of the moment.
Letting your attention focus on the sensations of the moment.
Letting your attention focus on the sensations of the moment.
Letting your attention focus on the sensations of the moment.
Letting your attention focus on the sensations of the moment.
Letting your eyes gently open,
Perhaps stretching.
Beginning to get yourself ready for the remainder of your day.
Thank you for this opportunity to meditate and be present in the moment.
.
