This is a five-minute mindfulness of breathing practice.
So,
Taking a moment to find a dignified and upright posture with both feet flat on the floor,
Allowing the eyes to gently close or soften your gaze,
And taking a moment to check in with the body,
Noticing sensations of contact between the feet and the floor,
The body and chair.
And now,
As best as you can,
Tuning awareness into sensations of breathing happening right now in the body,
Noticing where you can sense the breath the most,
Maybe at the nostrils or the belly,
Not needing to control the breath,
Change the breath,
Or breathe in any particular way,
Allowing the body to just breathe itself,
Observing the sensations of breathing.
And resting attention on the breath as an anchor,
Either at the nostrils or the abdomen,
As it rises on the in-breath,
Falls on the out-breath,
Just this breath,
Just this moment.
Attention rested on the breath as an anchor to this moment,
This breath here,
At this moment.
And if at any time you notice the mind has wandered away,
Acknowledging this as a matter of fact,
It's normal for the mind to wander away,
Part of the practice of mindfulness,
Noticing where it's gone,
Maybe worries,
Daydreams,
Planning,
And gently bringing your awareness back to the sensations of breathing.
Just this breath,
Just this moment.
Again,
If you notice the mind has wandered away,
Acknowledging this as a matter of fact,
It's normal,
Part of the practice of mindfulness,
Noticing where the mind wandered to,
And gently bringing awareness back to the sensations of breathing.
And noticing how the breath is always here as an anchor to return to at any moment,
Right now,
This breath,
This moment,
Allowing ourselves the space to be just as we are,
Right here,
In this moment.
And then gently,
In your own way,
And in your own time,
On the sound of the bell,
Gently ending the practice.
