Welcome to Breathing Space for meditation,
Storytelling,
And poetry.
I'd like to invite you to use this series of meditation and readings from different storybooks and poetry books to find your own breathing space when you feel it is right for you.
So we're just going to start by just tuning into our senses as I normally like to do by picking out five things that we could see in the room.
Five things,
Any five things,
Just notice the textures,
The colors,
Just singling those things out.
And now start to just pay attention to four things you can feel.
Four things you might be able to feel now.
It might be the temperature in the room.
It might be the soles of your feet on the floor.
There's four things you could bring your attention to that you can feel.
And then just three things you can hear.
You might be able to hear something outside or inside.
Just three things and two things you can smell.
And one thing that you can taste.
What kind of taste do you have left?
Okay,
So when you're ready then you can close your eyes if you haven't already done so.
And we're going to start this meditation.
You're going to hear a bell just at the beginning of this 10-minute meditation and a bell to denote the ending of the meditation as well.
So as you're sitting just make your spine as erect as possible but so comfortably soft.
I like to start by bringing your attention to your breath just as it is.
Just noticing how you're breathing right now.
The natural rhythm of your breath.
Notice as you inhale,
Just notice the air coming into contact with your nostrils.
Just notice as you exhale,
The flow of air exiting your nostrils.
Paying attention to the natural flow of the breath.
You may begin to notice the natural deepening and lengthening of the breath.
Just pay gentle attention to the next inhalation.
Noticing the temperature of the air.
Following that breath into the body,
Into the lungs,
All the way into the belly.
Notice as you exhale,
Contraction of your belly,
Expelling the air.
You may notice as you inhale,
Your body rising and as you exhale,
Your body falling with each breath.
Keeping a sharp focus on the breath as it comes into the body and as it leaves the body through the nostrils.
You may notice the gentle caressing of your top lip from the breath.
You may notice that one breath in may be longer or shorter than the breath out.
Whatever it might be,
Just noticing it.
In this moment,
There is nothing to change.
In this moment,
There is nothing to do.
Just being with the breath.
You may find your mind wandering.
Just gently escort the mind back to your next inhalation,
Following that breath in through the nostrils,
Filling your body with life force.
Noticing as you exhale,
Your body softening and relaxing with each breath you take.
You may notice as you exhale,
Your body falling through the nostrils,
Filling your body with life force.
You may notice as you exhale,
Your body falling through the nostrils,
Filling your body with life force.
Just noticing now if the breath is getting deeper and longer.
Just noticing any tension dissipating in the body.
Just following the breath as you inhale and exhale.
As you breathe in,
Just take this opportunity to connect now with the final deep breath for this meditation.
Knowing now with the breath,
You can come home to the present moment at any time.
Okay.
I'm actually going to read a poem today.
It's one of my favorite poems and you might have heard it before,
Maybe some time ago,
Maybe recently,
But it never gets old.
This one is called The Cookie Thief.
A woman was waiting at the airport one night with several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.
She was engrossed in her book,
Where happened to see that the man beside her,
As bold as can be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.
She read,
Munched cookies and watched the clock as the ghastly cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking,
If I wasn't so nice,
I'd blacken his eye.
With each cookie she took,
He took one too.
When one was left,
She wondered what he'd do with a smile on his face and a nervous laugh.
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.
He offered her half and then he ate the other.
She snatched it from him and thought,
Oh brother,
This guy's got some nerve and he's also so rude.
Why,
He didn't even show any gratitude.
She had never known when she'd been so galled and sighed with relief when her fight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,
Refusing to look at the thieving ingrate.
She boarded the plane and sank in her seat and sought her book,
Which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage,
She gasped with surprise.
There were her bag of cookies in front of her eyes.
If mine are here,
She moaned with despair,
And the others were his and he tried to share.
Too late to apologise,
She realised with grief that she was the rude one,
The ingrate,
The thief.
I'd like to invite you now to reflect on the meditation,
All the stories or poetry that you may have heard.
When reflecting on the meditation,
Bring a gaze of non-judgment to your experience.
If you had difficulty during the meditation,
Whether it was pain,
Discomfort,
Or a flitting mind,
Just appreciate that.
And if it was a great meditation,
If you deem it as a pleasant experience,
Just appreciate that equally as well.
Any thoughts or ideas to contemplate on from the storytelling and poetry,
I'd like to encourage you to take that with you for the rest of the day.
I'd like to invite you now to reflect on the day,
And I look forward to seeing you in the next breathing space.
