Adopting an appropriate sitting posture for this mindfulness of breath and body meditation.
Sitting awake and alert.
Perhaps towards the back of the chair.
Perhaps if you're back straight.
If comfortable and possible for you.
Chest open.
Arms relaxed down by your side.
Softening the shoulders.
Softening round the neck,
Jaw,
Eyes.
Coming now to the breath.
We don't have to breathe in a certain way or change or control the breath.
Just noticing the body is breathing.
See if you can take a back seat.
Just observing.
The body is breathing in.
The body is breathing out.
Becoming aware of how this feels in the different parts of your body.
Aware of sensations in the nostrils.
The back of the throat.
Sensations in the chest.
And in the belly.
With each in-breath and each out-breath.
And in this practice we're going to use the sensation of the breath in the body as our anchor.
So an object to focus on.
Your mind is likely to wander.
That's what minds do.
That's to be expected.
But the intention here is to notice when our mind wanders and bring it back to the anchor.
Bring the attention back to the object of the breath and how this feels in the body.
So returning your attention to the movement of the breath.
Just being with each in-breath and being with each out-breath.
Noticing when your mind wanders.
When we notice that's a moment of mindfulness and bring your attention back to the breath.
See we get curious about the sensations of breathing.
Noticing after each in-breath there's a slight pause before the out-breath.
And after each out-breath again there's a slight pause between the that and the in-breath.
Maybe getting curious about the quality of the breath.
Is it coarse?
Smooth?
Shallow?
Deep?
Warm?
Cool?
Where do you feel the breath most strongly in your body?
The nostrils?
Chest?
Belly?
And if the mind wanders just notice where it's going.
Bring it back to each in-breath,
Each out-breath.
Not trying to do anything,
Just breathing.
Can you get a sense of the breath in the sides of your body?
Maybe a sense of the breath in the back?
And noticing your shoulders subtly rising and falling.
Becoming aware of the full torso expanding and contracting with each breath.
We broaden our awareness still.
We get a sense of the full body breathing.
The full body expanding and contracting with each in-breath and each out-breath.
Now noticing the sensations in the body.
The contact where the body meets the surfaces beneath.
And perhaps any sensations within the body that are calling for your attention.
Maybe there's some discomfort here,
Some intensity.
And if there is,
You have two choices.
First,
You may want to move away from a discomfort.
Change your posture slightly.
And if that is your choice today,
Then that's fine.
Or,
You may want to choose to investigate this.
Move towards the area of intensity.
Explore the sensations.
And if doing this,
Then breathe in to the site of discomfort.
Breathe out from it.
Opening to what's here.
Allowing what's here.
Investigating non-judgmentally what exactly are these sensations?
Is there heat?
Coolness?
Is it sharp or dull?
Does it move or stay the same?
Do these sensations change with the breath?
That's becoming curious.
What exactly is here?
As we now zoom out,
And once more,
Change our attention to notice the points of contact where the body meets the surfaces beneath.
So your sitting bones on the chair.
That's the sensation where your body meets the floor.
If it does,
For you.
Or the sensation at the lowest part of your body.
The sensation of the air touching the skin.
Let's take in a moment here just to see what's here.
And knowing in a moment's time you'll be opening your eyes and getting on with the next part of your day.
So making preparations to do that.
And when it's right for you,
Just gently opening the eyes.
