This meditation is called the Space Between.
To start we'll just get a nice relaxed comfortable position either sitting or lying down.
Make sure that your neck is straight but not stiff and then make sure your shoulders are down and away from the ears.
If you're sitting,
Rolling your shoulders up towards the ears and then back down is a great way to release them and relax them.
And now we'll start by taking several breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Starting with the first breath in through the nose and then out through the mouth.
And now the next breath in through the nose and then out through the mouth.
One more breath in through the nose and then out through the mouth.
Letting your breathing settle into its natural rhythm and pace.
Let your eyes gently close or softly gaze ahead.
We'll turn our attention now to our breathing.
As we follow our in-breath all the way in and follow our out-breath all the way out.
As we breathe in,
Noticing that space where we sense our breathing the strongest.
It could be the tip of the nose,
The back of the nose,
The throat,
The chest or the belly.
And then as we breathe out,
Noticing that space where we sense our breathing the strongest.
It could be the same as the in-breath or it could be different.
So we'll settle now and just focus on our breathing for the next several moments.
Following our in-breath all the way in,
Following our out-breath all the way out.
Noticing the sensations as we breathe in and the sensations as we breathe out.
Just follow your breathing for the next several cycles of in-breath and out-breath.
Noticing those sensations.
So as you followed your breath in and out,
You may have noticed that there's a space at the end of the in-breath before the out-breath starts.
And similarly,
There's a space at the end of the out-breath before the next in-breath.
Let's put our attention on to that space as we follow our in-breath in and our out-breath out.
For the next several in-breaths and out-breaths,
Pay attention to the space between the in- breath and the out-breath.
Again,
Following your in-breath all the way in and following your out-breath all the way out.
Noticing that rhythm and flow.
Now you may have noticed that as you followed your in-breath in and your out-breath out and tuned into that space between the in-breath and the out-breath,
In many ways it's like a tide coming up onto a beach being the in-breath and then rolling back out to the sea being the out-breath.
As you're focusing on your breathing,
You may notice that some thoughts come up and that is natural because the mind lives in the past and lives in the future,
But our body only knows the present.
So by focusing on our breathing and the physical sensations of our breathing,
We bring ourself back to the present.
So as we follow our breathing in and our breathing out,
As thoughts arise,
Notice them,
Label them if you'd like,
And then let them drift away like a cloud in the sky and bring your attention back to your breathing.
And as those thoughts arise,
You may notice just like with the breathing,
There's a space between thoughts.
So as you have thoughts that come up during this meditation,
When you release them,
Then notice the space that occurs before the next thought.
So for the next several moments,
As we're following our breathing in and we're following our breathing out,
When our thoughts come up,
Let's release them and then pay attention to the space between the thoughts.
Again,
As you follow your breathing in and you follow your breathing out,
Tuning into those physical sensations,
And as thoughts come up and are released,
Noticing the space between the thoughts.
Let's now start bringing our attention to the space that surrounds us,
Perhaps noticing any sounds that might be coming into the space,
Perhaps sensing any sensations in our hands and our feet.
And at your own pace,
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Thank you for participating in this meditation on the space between.
