Mindfulness Of Breath And Body Meditation

This is a basic mindfulness meditation to practise bringing awareness to the sensations of breathing, and how they might be felt throughout the body. And, as always, part of the practice is noticing when thoughts have carried your awareness away... and returning.

Transcript

Hello, Let's begin by establishing a stable but relaxed upright posture, Sitting on a chair or maybe a cushion on the ground, Whatever is most comfortable for you. Gently closing your eyes, Or taking a soft downward gaze if you prefer, Feel the uprightness of your spine, Vertical, Dignified, Relaxed, Allowing your hands to rest comfortably in your lap, Letting your belly soften. As you settle into stillness, Notice any sensations you might feel in the body, Notice whatever thoughts might be present, Nothing to do other than notice. Is there an underlying feeling tone, A subtle feeling of pleasant, Unpleasant or neutral? Not a thought, A feeling, No need to change anything, Just noticing whatever is there or isn't there. Let's begin feeling into the sensations of the breath, Wherever they are most present in your body. How does the fact that you're breathing reveal itself to you physically? Maybe you can sense the soft rise and fall of the abdomen with each inhale and each exhale, In the chest or the belly. Maybe you can feel the subtle flow of air entering and leaving your nostrils. Stop trying to change your natural breath, Letting it do what it does, Only noting how it is for you right now. Each moment, Feeling the breath passing through your body, Wherever you feel the breath, Stay with it for a while, Trying to cover each inhale and each exhale with awareness, Following each from beginning to end, And maybe noting the brief pauses that sit between the inhale and the exhale, And between the exhale and the inhale, Just breathing and noticing. It's natural that your brain will keep bringing forth thoughts, This is what a live human brain does, Absolutely no need to try and stop thinking, Allowing thoughts to come and go, Just like the breath comes and goes. Thoughts often carry us off into rumination, This is very natural, And if you notice this happening to you, Gently guiding your awareness back to the sensations of breathing. No need to give yourself a hard time about the mind's natural wanderings. Know that the noticing of thoughts and returning to what you're doing, Now feeling the breath, Is what meditation is all about. Feeling, Noticing, Now allowing your awareness to expand more widely through your body, Feeling your weight where it's held by your chair or the ground, Scanning softly through your body from your head to your toes, Noticing any sensations you feel. No need to adjust anything at all, Simply feeling what's there. And remember, When you're carried away by thoughts, That too is something to notice, A chance to reconnect with awareness. As the abdomen gently moves with your breath, Softly expanding and contracting, Sensations ripple through the body via the connective tissue that's everywhere inside you. Can you feel that? Is it possible to get a sense of the whole body breathing? No worries if you don't notice this, That in itself is something to notice, The noticing is enough. And if you can get a sense of the whole body breathing, Just be with it for a little while. Bringing this meditation to a close now, Opening your eyes or lifting your gaze, Take your time to move gently onto whatever you're doing next. Thanks for taking the time to practice. Take care.

Reviews

Nice long stretches of quiet to sit with suggestions. Gentle reminders that noticing we're thinking and returning to the breath *is* the practice.