Breathing Meditation

MARC was created to bring to a renowned mental health research institution the ancient art of mindful awareness in a scientifically supported and rigorous form. The center is a part of UCLA's Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology and the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

Transcript

So find a relaxed comfortable position seated on a chair or on the floor on a cushion.

Keep your back upright but not too tight hands resting wherever they're comfortable,

Tongue on the roof of your mouth or wherever it's comfortable.

And you can notice your body from the inside noticing the shape of your body,

The weight,

Touch.

And let yourself relax and become curious about your body seated here.

The sensations of your body,

The touch,

The connection with the floor or the chair.

Relax any areas of tightness or tension.

Just breathe,

Soften.

And now begin to tune into your breath in your body feeling the natural flow of breath.

Don't need to do anything to your breath,

Not long,

Not short,

Just natural.

And notice where you feel your breath in your body.

It might be in your abdomen,

It may be in your chest or throat or in your nostrils.

See if you can feel the sensations of breath,

One breath at a time.

When one breath ends,

The next breath begins.

Now as you do this you might notice that your mind may start to wander.

You might start thinking about other things.

If this happens this is not a problem,

It's very natural.

Just notice that your mind is wandered.

You can say thinking or wandering in your head softly.

And then gently redirect your attention right back to the breathing.

So we'll stay with this for some time in silence,

Just a short time.

Noticing our breath from time to time,

Getting lost in thought and returning to our breath.

See if you can be really kind to yourself in the process.

And once again you can notice your body,

Your whole body seated here.

Let yourself relax even more deeply and then offer yourself some appreciation for doing this practice today.

Whatever that means to you,

Finding a sense of ease and well-being for yourself in this day.

Reviews

Just right. Smart pace. Easy start to the day.

Enjoyed this

She’s back! This woman has the loveliest voice - articulate but also warm, without “trying too hard.” I had (have!) the biggest crush on her voice….

So helpful. Very relaxing and soothing. Thank you so much. Namaste 🙏🙏

Ein guter Start. Danke