You can begin by finding a comfortable seat in a chair or on the floor with a cushion underneath of you to lift your pelvis and be able to find a long spine.
And let's start by taking a deep breath in through the nose and then a full sigh out through the mouth.
Allow your mouth to close,
The lips to seal,
And the upper and lower teeth to be separated so that the jaw is soft.
Connect to the lower half of the body,
Rooting downward and relaxing.
So feeling the weight of the pelvis and the legs.
And then invite a sense of lightness or lift to your spine.
So feeling all of the small bones of the spine,
Spacious and extending upward toward the sky.
Let the spine be strong without being rigid and supporting you here with a nice open belly and open chest and heart.
Let your posture be alert but also comfortable.
And begin to notice the simple fact that you are breathing.
That without making any choices,
The breath naturally rises and falls.
You can notice if the breath is deep or shallow,
If it's smooth or choppy.
Becoming aware of where in your body you notice the breath the most.
Where is it the most apparent?
And as distractions come,
It's no big deal.
Maybe your mind drifts away from the breath for a moment and that's okay.
No need to become frustrated or irritated.
Just continue to invite your attention back to your breath.
Letting yourself relax into this practice.
Observing the breath without even changing it.
It's almost like you're observing a sunrise or a sunset.
You're not there to make it move faster or slower or any different.
You're just there to observe the natural unfolding of the breath.
To accept it exactly as it is.
Then again,
Each time the mind is distracted,
Hold away from its attention on the breath.
Just notice that this has happened.
Again,
Without frustration,
Without anger,
With full compassion and kindness toward yourself.
Keep coming back to the breath.
This meditation is a practice of beginning again.
