Welcome to this meditation on the anchor of the breath.
To begin,
Find yourself in a comfortable seated position.
Allow your hands and arms to simply rest wherever they are most comfortable.
Take three full cycles of breath,
Inhaling and exhaling deeply.
In mindfulness,
We use something called an anchor to help focus and train our attention during our formal practice.
One anchor that we have with us at all times is our breath,
And our breath serves as an incredibly useful tool in our mindfulness practice.
In our meditation together today,
We're going to invite you to use the simple words,
As I breathe in,
I breathe in.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As an anchor to return your attention to the present moment whenever you notice your awareness begins to wander away.
As I breathe in,
I breathe in.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As I breathe in,
I breathe in.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
Continue now with those words in your mind following the natural rhythm of your own inhale and exhale,
Not forcing or changing the rhythm of your breath in any way,
But simply allowing those words to emerge on each inhale and exhale.
As I breathe in,
I breathe out.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
And notice now if your mind has begun to wander.
If it has,
There's no need to judge it,
But simply to recognize that it has wandered,
And then to guide it back to the simple words,
As I breathe in,
I breathe in.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As I breathe in,
I breathe out.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
If your awareness has begun to wander,
It's completely fine.
That's what our mind does.
But now you have the opportunity to return your attention to the breath.
As I breathe in,
I breathe in.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
As we begin to come to the close of this meditation,
Allow those words to disappear from your mind.
Be noticing your breathing without repeating any words as you do so.
Begin now to return your awareness to your physical body,
Perhaps beginning to move fingers and toes as you wake up your body after this period of mindful relaxation.
The anchor of your breath is with you at all times throughout the day,
And you can return to it at any point that you need to.
Remember,
Affirm to yourself at any point,
As I breathe in,
I breathe in.
As I breathe out,
I breathe out.
Doing so will help you return your awareness to what you're doing in that precise moment.
