Welcome to this mindful awareness of breath meditation.
Finding a sitting posture either on a chair or on a cushion.
Sitting upright in a relaxed but dignified posture,
An awake posture.
Using the hands in the lap,
Allowing the shoulders to drop away from the ears.
And imagine a string pulling your spine upwards toward the sky,
Lengthening the spine,
Slightly tucking the chin,
But keeping the head upright.
Using the eyes now to block out external stimuli or just simply casting the eyes downwards with a soft gaze.
Bringing awareness to this moment.
Feeling all parts of the body that are making contact with your cushion or the floor or your chair.
Noticing the sensations of your feet on the floor.
And shifting your attention to your legs at the seat.
Shifting your attention to the weight and positioning of the hands in the lap.
Noticing if they are touching anything or each other.
And taking three nice deep breaths,
Allowing the belly to expand and the diaphragm to activate.
Telling the body it is safe to relax.
Using the full inhale and exhale.
Breathing in and breathing out.
And allowing the breath to flow in a normal rate and rhythm,
Not trying to alter the breath or control it,
Not trying to breathe deeply or lightly.
The practice is simply noticing how the breath is in this moment.
The breath is your anchor,
The simplest way to remember to focus the mind and calm the body.
Mindfulness meditation is a break in the rush of our daily lives.
It allows us time to reflect on and experience the joy of simply being ourselves.
Give yourself permission to take this moment for yourself.
Bringing attention to the sensation of the breath in the body.
Directing attention to the belly as it expands and contracts with each inhale and exhale.
Feeling the chest as it rises and falls as the lungs fill and empty with each breath.
Noticing the movement of air in the back of the throat.
And moving attention to a sense of air movement at the nostrils.
Feeling the cooler air on the inhale and the slightly warmer,
Moister air on the exhale.
And now choosing the point where you feel the breath most vividly in your body in this moment and placing attention there.
When we sit still and ask the mind to focus on the breath,
The mind and attention naturally wander to all kinds of other things.
We think about what we should have done,
Before,
Or what may come after.
We can see how busy the mind is and how much it pulls us out of the present moment.
The practice is to simply notice this busyness.
Notice when the attention has been pulled away from a sense of the breath in the body,
And with kindness,
Just bringing attention back to the sense of breathing.
Noticing the inhale,
Followed by the exhale.
Noticing the space between the inhale and exhale.
Noticing the continuous cycle of the breath in the body.
Thinking is a natural process,
Not to be judged or struggled with,
Or controlled,
But simply noticed.
In the noticing,
You are practicing mindfulness.
And then gently,
You can bring the attention back to the breath.
No criticism,
No judgment.
Simply bringing kindness and gentleness to yourself and returning to the breath again.
Being aware of this breath.
And this breath.
And this breath.
The only breath we have in this moment.
Now this breath.
At times,
You may also notice physical sensations,
Thoughts,
Or emotions that call to your attention.
This is perfectly normal and is to be welcomed as part of this state of being human.
Notice it,
Acknowledge its presence,
And then return again to the breath in the body.
And now,
Overall remains the mental wellness of the breath.
Attending to the breath in the body,
Noticing the fullness of the inhale,
Followed by the fullness of the exhale.
And noticing again,
When the attention is pulled away from the object of focus,
The breath in this moment.
And in noticing,
Taking the opportunity to redirect attention back to the breath.
Every time you practice coming back to the breath,
You strengthen this muscle of being in the present moment,
Of being able to notice this moment in life.
As we practice this stillness and this focus,
The mind will eventually learn to settle down also.
And this will allow us to reveal new clarity,
Giving us the strength and calm when we need it most.
Being present teaches us to experience the beauty of what is in our life right now.
Yes,
Just chill.
Remembering that as long as you are breathing,
There is more right with you than wrong.
Getting this breath,
Only this breath,
And this breath.
And now,
Maintaining a sense of this stillness that we have cultivated in this sitting meditation,
Bringing it with you as you open your eyes and go about the rest of your day.
