The purpose of this meditation is to train focused attention,
Cultivating one-pointed concentration into effortless absorption.
Attention is like an arrow or a flashlight pointed at a focal object,
And awareness is that which knows where attention is placed.
The focal point for this meditation is the sensations of breathing in a specific spot in your body.
After I cue you to locate a spot where you feel the sensations of breathing,
See if it's possible to maintain concentration on sensations of breathing in this spot.
Whenever your attention wanders,
Practice the three R's.
Recognize what has captured your attention,
Release this,
And gently return to paying close attention to your focal point.
As you follow this meditation,
Practice mindfulness by paying attention,
On purpose,
In the present moment,
Non-judgmentally,
Like a curious observer.
This gentle,
Compassionate,
Observational attitude supports you in monitoring your attention and noticing whatever happens with equanimity.
To begin,
Take a moment to check in inside,
And notice how you feel right now.
If you could sum up this feeling in a word,
Phrase,
Or image,
What would this be?
Now,
Let's move into posture cues.
Relaxed,
Upright,
And aligned posture supports focused attention and awareness.
So,
Let's begin by sitting comfortably upright.
Feel the weight of your tailbone resting down into the surface underneath you.
Rest your hands,
Palms down,
On your legs.
Soften and relax your hands here.
Lightly close your eyes.
Imagine a string attached to the top of your head,
Drawing your spine gently upright.
Slightly tuck your chin to lengthen the back of your neck.
Lightly close your lips.
Soften and relax your tongue,
And breathe in and out through your nose.
Become aware of the sensations of breathing inside your body.
Notice where your breathing feels most prominent.
Choose one spot in your body to focus on the felt sensations of breathing.
This could be your lower abdomen,
Your lungs,
The tip of your nose,
Your upper nasal passages between your eyebrows,
Or anywhere else that feels easy and natural for you to focus your attention.
Now focus into the spot you've chosen,
And feel the sensations of breathing here.
Allow the sensations of breathing in this spot to come into the foreground of your awareness,
And let everything else fade to the background,
As if nothing else exists in this moment.
Feel the sensations of breathing in your chosen spot.
Whenever your attention wanders to anything other than the sensations of breathing in this spot,
It's okay.
Simply practice the three R's.
Recognize what captured your attention,
Release this,
And gently return to focusing on feeling the sensations of breathing in the spot you've chosen.
To cultivate concentration,
You can count your breaths each time you exhale in cycles of ten.
If you lose count,
Begin again at one,
And if you get to ten,
Begin again at one.
Breath counting is simply a way to track attention.
You can use breath counting as long as it is helpful.
The most important thing in this meditation is to stay focused on the felt sensations of breathing in the spot you've chosen.
If your attention wanders,
It's okay.
Simply recognize what captured your attention,
Release this,
And gently return to focusing on feeling the sensations of breathing in the spot you've chosen.
Continue to focus on feeling the sensations of breathing in the spot you've chosen.
As you continue to focus on feeling the sensations of breathing,
Notice how the sensations become stronger as they are infused with the energy of attention.
The felt sensations of breathing are like a magnet that draws your attention deeper into effortless absorption,
So there is only awareness of the breath in this spot.
Continue to feel the sensations of breathing in this spot.
One-pointed awareness of the breath.
One-pointed awareness of the breath.
One-pointed awareness of the breath.
Now,
Become aware of your breathing within the whole space of your body.
Feel your body as a whole from the inside.
Sense the entire space inside your skin.
Slowly open your eyes and take in the feeling of the space around you,
Together with the space inside your skin.
One space of awareness.
Rest in this present moment,
Here.
Notice how you feel.
If you could sum up this feeling in a word,
Phrase,
Or image,
What would this be?
Take a moment to reflect on this process of cultivating concentration,
And write down anything important to remember about this meditative experience.
