Dear friends,
Welcome to this simple guided breathing meditation.
My hope is that it will bring you to a place of peace,
A place of peace from which you will emerge ready to face whatever lies ahead.
In these few minutes we pause to steady ourselves.
By coming home to the breath we turn a key that leads us into the present moment.
A simple breathing exercise is something that we can practice whenever we feel worried or stressed.
So let us begin.
We begin by making sure we're sitting comfortably.
So take a moment to adjust your position if you need to.
Feel yourself supported by the chair beneath you and allow your body to settle.
Nothing to do,
Nothing to perform,
Just sitting naturally,
Supported by the chair or cushion or whatever it is that is giving you support.
If you're sitting,
Feel your feet flat on the floor.
You might notice the weight of your feet resting on the floor,
A reminder of the good earth supporting us all.
Allow your hands to rest lightly on your thighs,
Your palms facing upwards if that feels comfortable.
This is a small gesture of openness and ease and it might help.
If you wish,
You might gently close your eyes but you don't have to.
If you'd rather keep your eyes open,
Then soften your gaze and let your eyes rest on some single point,
That will help avoid distraction.
And now,
Let's take a moment to arrive,
To become really present.
You might have been rushing about,
Busy or simply carrying the worries of the day.
But right now,
There is no need to hurry or rush,
No need to do anything at all.
Just notice yourself arriving,
Magically in this space,
In this moment.
Lao Tzu tells us,
In the stillness of the present moment,
The whole universe surrenders itself.
In the stillness of the present moment,
The whole universe surrenders itself.
Take a few moments now to notice what it feels like to be here.
The feeling of the chair beneath you,
The air on your skin,
The sensation of peace and quiet that you only begin to notice when you take time to stop,
To pause and to stop.
Even now,
Your mind might still be busy,
With conversations,
Lists,
Plans.
That is perfectly normal,
There's no need to worry.
This is your mind thinking and that's what the mind does.
Isn't it great that it does?
But you don't need to follow every thought.
When a thought comes,
Why not just notice it?
You might simply say to yourself,
There's a thought.
And you might tell the thought,
Thank you very much,
But I'll come back to you later.
Let any thoughts that come in like this,
Let them drift to one side.
Just like the way a cloud passes in the sky.
Gently bring your attention back to your breath,
Whenever you feel your attention has drifted.
Now we will draw our attention to our breathing.
No need to change it just yet.
Just notice the breathing.
Notice the quiet rhythm of air coming in and going out.
Hatha Yoga Pradipika tells us,
When the breath wanders,
The mind also is unsteady.
But when the breath is calmed,
The mind too will be still.
A reminder there that when our breathing is calm,
The mind will be still.
You might feel the coolness of the air as it enters through your nose.
Travelling down into your throat,
Into your chest and lungs.
Maybe even all the way down to your belly.
Notice the gentle rise and fall of your chest and abdomen as you breathe.
Breathing in and breathing out.
You don't have to control it,
Just notice the steady rhythm of life moving through you.
Each breath is a small reminder that you are alive.
It calls us to notice the wonderful gift of being alive.
It's a reminder that you belong here.
That you have a right to be here.
Remember the words of the poem,
Desiderata,
Just like the trees and the stars,
You have a right to be here.
And here you are,
Sitting in awareness of your breath.
Whenever we feel stressed or anxious,
Our breath tends to become shallow.
We move into a fight or flight mode.
This is an ancient reflex of protection.
Essential it was in the distant past.
But right now,
Where's the danger?
Unless you're working in a zoo,
I think I can safely say that there's no tiger waiting at your door.
So remember you're safe.
You're home.
And this is your time.
Next,
Let your breath deepen slightly.
We are normally inclined to this shallow breathing.
We don't fill our lungs enough.
So now a deeper breath.
In through your nose and out through your mouth.
Again,
In through your nose,
Out through your mouth.
As Lao Tzu wrote more than 2,
000 years ago,
To the mind that is still,
The whole universe surrenders.
To the mind that is still,
The whole universe surrenders.
Our breath is the gateway to that stillness.
So now continue breathing at your own pace.
Smooth,
Gentle,
Easy breaths.
Breathing in calm.
Breathing in steadiness.
Breathing in peace.
With each exhale,
Allow your body to soften and relax even more.
Begin with your head and consciously think of every part of your body until you reach your feet.
Soften and relax every part.
We'll allow a two minute pause for this.
One minute to go.
Are you relaxing and softening more and more?
Welcome back.
The Buddha tells us peace comes from within.
Do not seek it without.
Peace comes from within.
Do not seek it without.
Each breath takes us closer to a quiet peace that's already alive within each one of us.
That inner peace is there,
Just waiting to be noticed.
And there you have it.
Breathing in and relaxing in the now.
If your eyes are still closed,
Gently open them now.
Allowing the light back into your world,
Softly and gradually.
Please remember to carry this sense of calmness with you into whatever comes next.
And remember your breath is always here.
You can access it any time,
Any place.
The breath is always here with you.
A quiet friend,
Ready to bring all of us home whenever we wish.
So finally,
A prayer to end our meditation.
May the stillness we've cultivated in this meditation become a seed of peace in our hearts,
In our homes,
And across the world we love.
May every living being breathe in safety,
Breathe in kindness,
Breathe in peace.
