And as you start to settle,
Become aware of your meditation posture.
In this practice you can be seated,
Standing,
Or lying down.
Just start to establish a sense of presence.
Settling into whatever posture you're holding.
Finding that sense of connection to the earth.
And in this meditation we're going to focus on cultivating mindfulness of the breath.
By noticing what's going on in our breath.
Noting the physical sensations in our body.
Becoming aware of all of the little nuances.
So as you start to settle,
Start to see if you can notice the sensations in your body that are related to breathing.
This might show up as movement in your chest.
The flicker of your nostrils as you breathe in and breathe out.
Or maybe the coolness of the air as it descends your throat.
Just noticing all of the different types of physical sensations that the breath shows up in.
We'll start by taking a few deep breaths.
Exhaling your lungs from the bottom of your chest,
Slowly up through your chest into your upper ribs.
When you exhale,
Slowly release the air.
Squeeze your lower diaphragm as if you were wringing out a wet towel.
Take a moment to take a few deep breaths.
Allow the oxygen to flood your nervous system.
Saturate your blood with lots of oxygen.
Calm down the parasympathetic nervous system.
Just gently,
Deeply inhaling and exhaling completely.
Now allow your breath to return to a natural rhythm.
See if you can start to bring your awareness to where you notice your breath the most.
Maybe there's a specific part of your body where the breath feels very present.
Or maybe you notice a point where the breath feels very pleasant or constricted.
There's no right or wrong answer.
I'm just noticing where our breath shows up.
It's important to remember that watching the breath is just that.
We're just watching.
Observing.
If you notice that you're controlling your breath,
Forcing it to be a certain way,
See if you can just gently take a step back and release your hold on it.
Allow yourself to just observe the breath,
Knowing and trusting that your body knows exactly how to breathe in this very moment,
Knows what you need,
And doesn't need you to manage it.
You can just take a step back and release your hold on it.
And if your mind starts to wander,
Just gently bring your attention back to your breath,
Staying present with the body sensations associated with the breath.
Maybe noticing how your chest gently expands and contracts,
Lifting and falling with each breath.
Gently watching the sensation of each inhale and exhale.
See if you can use your breath as an anchor,
A focal point,
The object of your meditation,
Anchoring and grounding you into this moment.
Okay.
Start to see if you can notice the coming and going of the breath.
Noticing the beginning of the inhale,
The inhale,
And the fullness of your lungs,
The beginning of the exhale,
And the exhale.
Gently letting go.
Watching the rising and falling,
The lifting and contracting,
This one circular process fading endlessly,
Automatically,
Without any intervention on our part.
See if you can start to notice the space between the breaths.
At the very top of the inhale and at the end of the exhale.
See if you can bring your attention and your focus to these tiny gaps,
Tiny pauses.
And in the space between the breaths,
These gaps,
What do you notice there?
What do you feel in your body in those moments?
Does it feel different or the same?
Okay.
Take a moment to identify where your attention is right now.
Each time we notice that our mind has wandered off,
We strengthen our mindfulness muscle just a little bit.
If your mind is wandering,
Just smile and gently bring your awareness back to the breath,
To that physical representation of the breath in your body.
Just a gentle inhale and exhale.
Breathing in and breathing out.
As you're watching your breath,
Start to bring your attention to your exhale and allow your body to gently release any tension that you're holding with each individual exhale.
Gently inhaling and exhaling,
Letting go of tension on each exhale.
Softening a little bit with each completed breath.
Breathing in pure oxygen,
Breathing out and letting go of tension.
Maybe you notice there's some tension that isn't letting go.
That's okay.
We don't need to focus on the what or the why.
Just allow your breath to gently continue unhindered,
Unabated,
Allowing the body to soften with each completed breath.
Just gently breathing and softening,
Letting go with each exhale.
Letting go and softening on each exhale.
Gently allowing a state of deep relaxation to envelop the whole body.
And if you find there's a spot,
It just won't let go.
Some nagging tension,
Some muscle pain.
Just keep working with it with each exhale,
Continuing to soften.
Letting go and softening on each exhale.
Letting go and softening on each exhale.
