Hello friends,
You are so welcome here.
My name is Stella and this practice is a practice for complete beginners,
Anybody who is new to meditation or breathing observation,
Or anybody who's practiced meditation and breathing in the past and have just found it a little bit boring.
And these practices can be boring,
Especially when we first start with the mind being pulled in a million different directions and feeling like there's quite a lot of repetition in meditation and practice.
So if any of this sounds familiar,
Perhaps you're in the right place.
And this practice can be done in a seated position or laying down,
You might be doing it on your commute to work or just before bed,
So there's no right or wrong time to practice.
And just encouraging you to close the eyes if that feels comfortable.
And if you don't feel safe closing the eyes,
Then perhaps you just look at one point,
Perhaps looking down.
I'm really encouraging you just to let your body breathe the breath.
And this might sound like a slightly bizarre instruction because you're breathing 24-7,
Right?
You were born knowing how to breathe the breath.
You didn't come with an instruction manual.
You didn't have to read or watch a YouTube video on how to breathe the breath.
Your body just does it.
And encouraging you to trust into the wisdom of the body to breathe,
So you don't need to change anything.
Just letting the breath move in and out through the body.
And if you can breathe through the nose,
Breathing through the nose.
And our first line of inquiry in this practice is just to notice the sound of the body breathing the breath.
And you don't need to exaggerate the sound or breathe more deeply.
Just noticing the sound of the breath.
And likewise,
If you're breathing silently,
If there's no sound,
Then noticing the absence of sound.
Letting the whole mind be occupied with the sound of your breath.
Now we will shift our attention to the breath.
So as you breathe in and out through the nose,
Just noticing,
Is there a difference in the temperature of the air?
Perhaps you can start to notice that that inhalation is a warm breath.
And perhaps you can start to notice that that exhalation is a warm breath.
Perhaps you can start to notice that that inhalation is a wee bit cooler.
And the exhalation is perhaps a little warmer.
Just noticing the difference in temperature as you breathe.
And then let's shift our focus to any fragrance that might be in the air as you breathe in and out.
And some of us will have a more heightened sense of smell,
And other folks will have a more dull sense of smell.
And we're not judging,
We're just noticing.
Is there anything to notice about the smell or the fragrance of the air?
And likewise,
Encouraging you to notice the texture of the air as it comes in through the nose.
So does the air feel smooth or does the air catch in any place on the inhale or the exhale?
Just noticing.
What is the texture of the air?
And again,
That reminder just to allow the breath to move in and out naturally.
So no need for control,
Just relinquishing the need to control or manipulate.
Now we send our focus to the length of the breath.
So are you taking a short breath or is the breath deeper?
No need to change.
Just noticing.
What is the length of the breath?
And again,
That reminder just to allow the breath to move in and out naturally.
So are you taking a short breath or is the breath deeper?
What is the length of the breath?
And as we grow more curious still,
Can we start to notice if one component of the breath is longer or shorter?
Is the inhale longer or the exhale longer or are they both the same length?
And now let's shift our focus to the transition or the pause.
So what happens at the end of the inhale?
Is there a space or a pause?
How does the inhale transition into an exhalation?
How does the exhale transition into an exhalation?
Can we be really curious about that point?
And likewise,
What happens at the end of the exhale?
Is there a pause there?
How does the exhale transition once again to an inhalation?
Just noticing.
And then finally,
We will shift our focus to the places that the breath moves to.
So where does the breath move to in your body?
And if it's useful,
You might bring a hand or both of the hands onto either the chest or the belly.
Just feeling into the physicality of the breath.
The breath has to go somewhere,
Right?
Where does that breath travel to in your body?
No need to change.
No space for judgment,
Just noticing.
And then we relinquish all of our observations.
So they're letting their hands fall if they're lifted.
And the breath is this beautiful anchor that we can fall in love with over time.
When we come to the breath,
We come back home to ourselves.
And it's okay if these practices feel boring when we start.
Thank you so much for joining me,
Beautiful people.
Wishing you a beautiful and peaceful day.
Thank you.
