The Shape Of Your Breath

Good morning and welcome to this five-minute morning practice.

To begin,

Please find a comfortable place to sit,

Somewhere where you can be comfortable,

Relaxed,

Yet awake,

Letting the crown of your head reach up to the sky above you and where your seat connects to the ground below you,

Letting yourself be anchored and rooted like a tree.

You can rock forward and back or side to side,

Maybe make small circles with your ribcage to find this comfortable way to sit.

Receive a great big inhale all the way down into your belly and let it go with a sigh.

Let your breath be natural and allow yourself to find its rhythm this morning.

What shape does your breath take on its inhale,

Allowing your mind to soften and your imagination to relax,

Following the shape of this inhale and the shape of this exhale,

Noticing if it's short or long,

Choppy or smooth.

There's no right or wrong way to breathe.

The breath simply is.

And as you feel judgment throughout this practice,

Keep going back to your breath.

Let it show you what is-ness looks like,

What this pure presence,

Awareness,

And just being is.

With every inhale,

Focus even more on your exhale,

Long,

Maybe a little bit drawn out,

And continue like this at your own pace,

Cycling your inhale into your exhale and your exhale into your inhale.

If there's a place in your breath that feels particularly shallow or stuck,

Maybe just a part of your breath that you notice,

See if you can locate that within your body and gently place your hands on this place.

Let your hands be a beacon for your breath,

Offering it a little extra awareness to this part of your breathing.

Notice how this changes your inspiration.

If you can,

Sit here for longer,

Being with your breath.

If you're ready to start your day or move on from this practice,

Rub your hands together,

Place one over your belly and over your heart.

One more big breath and audible exhale.

Thank you for showing up to be this morning in breath.