So we're going to be doing a four-stage practice of mindfulness at breathing.
Some of you may be familiar with this but you'll find that I'm taking a different approach by starting with soft eyes.
So we start,
As always,
Just by making sure that we're sitting in a way that allows us to have a straight back without holding ourselves rigidly.
A way of sitting that allows us to have an open heart.
Where our breathing isn't constricted.
And so bringing some attention into the eyes now.
Letting the muscles supporting the eyes be at rest.
And letting the eyes be softly focused behind your closed eyelids.
Aware of whatever's arising in your visual field.
Noticing how with soft eyes you can be aware of everything.
So even with your eyes closed there's still a sense of light.
And you can just be open to all of it.
From the centre of your visual field right out to the periphery.
And from the centre up to the top and the bottom.
And what we're doing here is we're triggering a more receptive,
Open way of paying attention.
It's not really to do with the eyes at all.
It's to do with the way we're noticing things.
So as you turn your attention more toward the body and the breathing that's taking place in the body,
You might find that your inner focus is no longer tight but it's more open,
Receptive.
So you can be open to many,
Many different sensations of the breathing all at the same time.
The sensations of the breathing forming soft waves that sweep through the whole body.
And you can just notice for example with the next out-breath how there's a coordinated wave of sensation,
Of movement,
Of letting go.
And observing again on the next out-breath.
Just noticing the qualities of breathing out.
And if you want you can count 10 out-breaths.
Counting just after the end of each exhalation.
If you get distracted and lose the place then starting at one.
If you count 10 then starting over again,
Counting another 10.
The counting brings more intentionality into the practice.
Just really staying with each out-breath.
Noticing the way it sweeps downward through the body.
Noticing the many ways in which the body is letting go on the out-breath.
So you can just let go of the counting now.
And begin following the next in-breath and really noticing what happens as you breathe in.
Doing this over and over again.
And again if you want you can count your in-breaths.
You can count 10 of them.
So there's a lot of expansive movements,
Upward movements,
To notice.
As you breathe in.
You might notice that the in-breath brings a sense of mental alertness.
Of energy and clarity.
And then as you notice the next in-breath,
Follow it all the way through to turning into an out-breath.
And that out-breath turning into an in-breath.
So we just keep doing this.
Observing the whole process of the breathing.
Noticing the continuity of the breathing.
There is never a time when there is no sensation.
Every moment is equally full of the sensations of the breathing.
And we just allow our attention to rest.
Observing the soft wave of the in-breathing.
Everywhere.
The soft wave of the out-breathing.
Everywhere.
So observing many sensations of the breathing and noticing the continuity of the breathing.
The breathing is a continuous series of moments of sensation.
Our attention,
Observing this,
A continuous series of moments of mindfulness.
And in the fourth stage we're going to just continue noticing each moment of sensation.
Always different from the moment before.
Always being replaced by yet another different moment.
The whole body breathing.
Within this broad landscape of sensation,
Beginning to notice as a lightly held focal point.
The sensations where air is first entering and leaving the nostrils.
So you're still observing the whole body.
But also noticing those more vivid sensations in the nostrils.
If you find that you are drawn in by these sensations in the nostrils,
If that naturally happens,
And that occupies more and more of your attention,
Then that is fine,
Just go with it.
Otherwise you can just sit.
Observing with soft eyes the whole body breathing.
So,
In a few moments I'm going to ring a bell.
And I suggest that you regard that bell not as the end of the meditation,
But as the part of the practice where you begin bringing your mindfulness,
Bringing your soft eyes,
More fully into the world.
