Mindfulness Practice For Beginners

Let's start by finding a comfortable seated position,

Cross legged on the floor or in a chair,

Any way that feels comfortable enough for you to hold for the next five minutes.

If you're sitting in a chair,

Have your feet flat on the ground,

Back is straight but not stiff,

Shoulders are relaxed,

Chin is slightly tucked,

Hands can rest in your lap or on your knees facing up or down.

If your eyes are not already closed,

Close them now and bring your focus to your breath.

And let's take three deep breaths together.

So in through your nose and let it out through your mouth.

A deep breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth.

And one last deep breath in through your nose and just let it all out.

Now let your breathing return to normal.

There's no right or wrong way,

Just breathing in and out,

However it feels natural to you.

You may choose to focus on the breath moving in and out of your nostrils or maybe on the rising and falling of your chest or your stomach.

Just watch it with an air of curiosity.

Where does your attention instinctively go?

And as you watch,

Is the breath shallow?

Is it deep?

Is it cold or is it warm?

And just notice.

Are you still with your breath?

If you've begun to drift,

That's okay.

That's normal.

This is what the mind does,

Like the heartbeats the mind thinks.

So let the thoughts come and then let the thoughts go.

Just noticing them and letting them pass.

Each and every time,

Just coming back to the breath.

Where are you now?

How do you feel?

Has your mind begun to wander?

And can you come back?

Just focusing on that in-breath and that out-breath each and every time.

As you move forward with your day,

Know you can always come back,

Bringing your attention and your focus to the breath.

The thoughts,

The emotions,

The memories,

The plans,

They will all come and they will all go.

Like the rising and falling of the tides,

Always coming and always going.

And just see if you can keep coming back to this place.

Back to the breath.

Back to the stillness.

Back to the present moment.

Take one more deep breath in through the nose and let it all out through your mouth.