Welcome to session one,
Following the breath.
In this session,
We are going to settle ourselves,
Get comfortable,
And then gently focus our attention on following the breath.
And then whenever the mind wanders,
We will simply revert attention back towards the sensations of breathing.
So beginning with your eyes open,
Take a moment to get comfortable.
Sit with a relaxed but alert posture.
See if you can keep your spine as straight as possible wherever you're sitting.
And then take a moment to check in with yourself.
See how your body feels.
See how your mind is doing.
And then just taking three deep in-breaths through the nose and out through the mouth.
In and out.
In and out.
In and then closing your eyes on the out-breath.
On the out-breath.
Start to feel the heaviness of your body,
The heaviness of your legs,
Of your arms,
Of your head,
Of your torso.
Feel the gentle tug of gravity pulling you down towards the ground.
And then take a moment to notice any sounds that may be present.
You don't really need to do anything here.
Sounds arise all by themselves.
And then when you're ready,
Gently start to focus your attention on the breath.
And then take a moment to notice any sounds that may be present.
Doesn't matter where you choose to follow the breath.
Could be at your nose,
In your upper chest,
Or in your belly.
All of them are fine.
Just follow the breath where it feels easiest and most comfortable today.
If you're struggling to feel the breath clearly,
It might help to put a hand on your chest or a hand on your belly.
Try if you can not to force the breath.
You shouldn't really have to do anything here.
Breathing is automatic.
It happens all by itself.
So just sit back and with a relaxed attitude,
Watch the rising and the falling sensations of the breath.
If you're like most people,
By now you have probably forgotten that you are supposed to be meditating.
Your mind would have wondered.
This is completely fine and is completely natural.
You'll come to notice that the mind is a very busy creature.
So just smilingly and with a positive attitude,
Return your attention back to the sensations of breathing.
If you're following the breath of the nose,
Really focus on the sensations of the air coming in and going out of the nostrils.
You might even notice that the air coming in is a bit colder than the air that comes out.
And if you're following the breath at the chest or in the belly,
Really try to notice the rising and the falling sensations that the breath creates when it comes in and out of the body.
Again,
Don't be discouraged if your mind has wondered.
It's completely natural.
Just smilingly and gently revert your attention back towards the breath.
And now I'd like you to drop all of your efforts entirely.
Allow the mind to be free to do whatever it wants.
And then start to notice any sensations related to sitting,
Any sounds or any smells that might be present.
And then before you open your eyes,
Taking a moment to check in with yourself,
See how your mind and your body both feel.
Do you feel different to how you felt before you meditated today?
And then when you're ready,
Gently opening your eyes.
And before rushing off,
Just take a moment to congratulate yourself for meditating today.
Enjoy the day.
