So welcome.
I'm glad you could join us for today's meditation.
Today's meditation is focused on mindfulness of the breath.
Breath meditation is often a technique that we learn as beginners to meditation.
And while it is a technique that's often taught to beginners,
Sometimes it's their very first technique,
It would be a mistake to think that mindfulness of the breath is something that's simplistic or basic,
Or something that we might master after a few months practice or even a year's time.
In my own studies of breath meditation,
I learned that there are actually 16 levels upon which to focus on.
And practitioners spend many,
Many years studying these levels,
Sometimes a lifetime.
Or if you're a believer in rebirth,
Multiple lifetimes.
The American meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein once said during a retreat that mindfulness of the breath is a technique we can start with as beginners and carry with us and practice all the way through a lifetime of meditation,
All the way up to and including our own awakening.
In fact,
The Buddha is reported to have used mindfulness of breathing as his primary technique for his own enlightenment.
So this is a technique with a lot of depth to it.
And this simplicity can be misleading.
And we can practice this breath meditation and go deeper and deeper into it.
So with that in mind,
Let's not waste any time.
Let's get started.
So you're taking your place on the cushion or chair,
Whatever you're seated on,
Entering into your space,
Settling in,
Relaxing any excess tension you might be holding in the body,
Checking in with your posture,
Making sure your head,
Shoulders and hips are in good alignment.
And just some attention to the body.
Taking a moment to soften the face,
Relax there around the eyes,
Soften the mouth,
Relaxing the neck and shoulders,
Just letting the arms hang a little more loosely.
Softening the hands,
Softening the belly.
So one of the first things the Buddha taught when he was giving his discourse on mindfulness of the breath was when breathing in,
Knowing we're breathing in,
When we're breathing out,
Knowing we're breathing out.
So this is a good starting point for us.
So breathing in and out through the nose and just bringing awareness to the in-breath and just bringing awareness to the out-breath,
Feeling the flow of air coming into the body,
Feeling the flow of air exiting the body.
Really trying to connect to the sensation.
They're all feel of the in-breath.
They're all feel of the out-breath.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
And just try to keep the attention steady.
If the mind wanders off into thought as it might tend to do,
Then just gently guide it back to the breath,
Using the breath as an anchor point,
Coming back to the breath as often as you need to.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Not forcing the breath in any way,
Just letting the body find its own rhythm.
And connecting to the feel of the in-breath,
Connecting to the feel of the out-breath.
Not trying to make the breath any particular way.
Okay,
So now that we've spent a little bit of time familiarizing ourself with the in-breath and out-breath,
Now we're going to move to the qualities of the breath.
I mean,
Is the breath long or short,
Fast or slow,
Shallow or deep?
So just take a moment to just note these qualities of the breath.
So now we're going to move to the qualities of the breath.
Noticing the nature of the breath.
Okay.
Okay.
So now that we've spent a little bit of time examining the qualities of the breath,
We're going to be noting now the breath in the body.
So now bringing some awareness to the whole body and feeling the breath in the body.
So where are you noticing the breath?
Are you noticing it?
Are you noticing the very tips of the nostrils,
Stairs flowing into the body and out of the body?
Are you noticing it in the nasal passages?
Perhaps in the windpipe as a tickle in the throat.
Perhaps a feeling of expansion or tightness in the chest.
Perhaps a rising and falling feeling in the belly.
Movement in the rib cage of the lungs.
What are you feeling?
Again,
Connecting to the sensations in the body.
So as we breathe in and breathe out,
Where in the body are you feeling the sensations and what are you noticing?
Okay.
Okay.
Knowing the in-breath,
Knowing the out-breath,
Knowing the qualities of the breath,
Whether it's short or long,
Shallow or deep,
Fast or slow.
Knowing where in the body we're feeling the breath.
And just feeling the whole body breathing now.
Knowing that this breath is our connection to life,
Our connection to the universe.
This mysterious process we call breathing is what sustains us.
It's what makes this life possible.
For as long as we are alive,
We will be breathing.
And so it might be good to bring a little mindfulness to this process that we're engaged in.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Thank you for joining us for this meditation.
I hope you can come back for another meditation.
Until then,
Be well and metta.
