Finding yourself in a comfortable position,
Your feet on the floor,
Just making sure they're flat on the floor.
Your back straight in an attentive posture.
Eyes closed or lower your gaze if that feels right for you.
Take a deep,
Full breath in and a long,
Slow breath out.
Now let your breath return to its own natural rhythm.
So keep your attention on the breath,
And the sensations of breath in your body.
You may notice the breath as it moves through your chest and abdomen.
You may notice a slight expansion in the chest and abdomen on the inhale,
And slight falling away on the exhale.
And the practice of breath meditation is simple.
We just pay attention to the breath.
And when we notice our mind has wandered,
We just gently,
With friendliness towards self,
Bring your attention back to the breath.
And just noticing your breath as it moves to the body.
Noticing where you may feel the breath the most as you breathe in,
Filling your lungs and your chest or your abdomen.
And a wandering mind is normal and natural,
So if you find yourself distracted and your mind has gone off to concerns or activities of the day,
It's not a problem.
Just bring yourself back to the breath,
Back to this breath right here.
And the meditation may be a breath meditation,
But it's helpful because it raises your level of awareness.
So to be aware of the breath in the body,
And also to notice the patterns of your mind,
Of which your mind works,
So when you may notice that your mind gets distracted,
And if it's helpful,
You may label what you're distracted about.
You may say thinking,
Thinking,
Daydreaming,
Daydreaming,
And then always coming back to the breath with kindness to self.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Each in breath,
A new beginning,
And each out breath,
A letting go.
And let's stay with the breath on our own for just a little while.
And coming back to the breath if your mind has wandered.
Feeling the sensations of breath in your body,
One breath after another.
Noticing the slight movements in the shoulders with the breath.
You may feel the entire breath move the body.
Breathing in and breathing out.
And bringing a kind attentiveness to the breath.
And your breath is always your anchor to the present moment.
This breath right here,
Right now.
And in a moment,
We'll open our eyes,
Open our eyes when we're ready.
Coming back to the body,
Feeling your feet on the floor.
Gently opening your eyes.
