Welcome.
In this practice,
You will be guided to observe the breath and to bring awareness to your breath.
There will be some moments of silence to give you time to observe.
Take a few moments to make yourself comfortable.
You may choose to do this practice seated or lying down.
In either case,
Be comfortable and yet able to remain alert and present throughout the practice.
Soften your gaze.
Notice all the places your body is supported and touching the chair,
Bed,
Or ground underneath you.
Begin to observe your breath without changing it.
Merely observe it.
Notice the quality of your breath.
Is it fast or slow,
Shallow or deep,
Or somewhere in between?
Notice the breath moving in and out of the nostrils,
Feeling the air on the tips of the nostrils.
Maintaining the awareness of the breath in this space,
Follow the breath up into the inside of the nostrils towards the bridge of the nose,
And then allow your awareness to follow that breath back out.
Feel the breath as it moves up and down the nostrils with each inhalation and exhalation.
Maintaining awareness of the breath in the nostrils,
Feel the breath moving down the throat towards the lungs.
Notice the sensation,
Temperature,
How far down the throat you feel the breath moving before it returns up the throat,
Over the bridge of the nose,
And out through the nostrils.
Continue observing the breath moving through the nostrils,
Over the bridge,
Down the throat,
Into the lungs before traveling back up and out of the body.
If you find thoughts coming to your mind,
Simply label them as thinking and return to the observation of the breath.
Perhaps as you continue to notice the breath,
You can also observe the expansion and contraction of the body.
The expansion begins at the chest,
And then perhaps goes into the ribs and even into the belly,
Filling the body with fresh oxygen before the belly,
The ribs,
And the chest contract,
Forcing the breath back out of the body.
Observe this process for a few breaths.
Notice now if you can sense your heart beating,
You may find it helpful to place one hand over the heart.
Observe the heartbeat as you inhale and exhale,
Noticing the fluctuations in the heartbeat with each part of the breath.
Can you feel your heart rate slowing some with each exhale?
Continue to observe the breath moving in and out of the nostrils.
Notice what happens if you allow the exhalation to be slightly longer than the inhalation for the next several breaths.
Continue to observe the breath moving in and out of the nostrils,
Noticing the heart,
Noticing the contraction and expansion of the body.
Noticing your observation of the breath,
Begin to bring your attention back into your body,
Back into the room.
Take just a moment to notice how you feel right now.
You have the power to create this sensation simply by paying attention to the breath and allowing the exhalation to be slightly longer than the inhalation.
You may practice this anytime you need it and as often as you need it,
Remembering that everything changes with the breath.
