Welcome to the short focused meditation.
For our practice today,
You're going to need a flower.
If you don't have access to a flower,
You can either visualize one as clearly as you can in your mind,
Or feel free to pause this meditation,
Pull up a picture from the internet,
And join me back here when you're ready.
To begin,
Gently close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in,
Feeling the air as it enters your body.
Slowly exhale out the mouth and see if you can let go of any of that tension in your shoulders.
We'll do that one more time.
Breathe in deep and really see if you can feel that air moving through the nose.
Exhale slowly out the mouth.
Now when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes and look closely at the flower.
For the next 10 seconds,
I want you to focus on finding as many shades of red as possible.
Now it doesn't matter if the flower you have chosen isn't completely red.
I want you to zone in your focus and see if you can find even the subtlest hint of red.
Scan the petals,
The leaves,
Wherever you might see red.
Keep your focus only on this color.
Now gently close your eyes and return your focus to your breath.
Pay attention to the feeling of the air as it enters your nose.
Is it cool or warm?
Is it cool or warm?
Follow the breath as it moves in and out.
Take a moment to simply be with your breath.
When you're ready,
Gently return your focus to the flower.
This time,
Find as many shades of blue as you can.
This blue might be present within greens or browns.
See if you can really focus on even the subtlest hint of blue in your flower.
Once again,
Bring your attention back to your breath as you gently close your eyes.
This time,
Focus on the rise and fall of your chest.
See if you can focus on the feeling of your belly expanding with your breath.
Feel how your body moves as you breathe in and out.
And just stay with the sensation for a moment.
Gently return your focus back to your flower.
Now begin to look for any shades of green present in your flower.
Search for as many different shades as you can find.
It could be in the stem,
The leaves or even just hints of green elsewhere.
Come back to your breath one more time.
Gently close your eyes and this time focus on the length of your breath.
Notice how long your inhale is.
How long your exhale is.
You don't need to change anything.
Simply observe the duration of your breath.
Take one more deep breath in and exhale fully out the mouth.
You've just completed a few minutes of focused attention and mindful breathing.
When you're ready,
Gently let go of this meditation and slowly return to your day.
Thank you for joining me.
