You can rest down into your seat and grow through your spine as you allow your eyes to close and we use the sound of the bell to transition from a mode of going and doing,
Thinking and planning,
Back into a mode of being with,
Opening in curious observation and non-judgmental awareness.
You can place all of your attention on your breath as you allow it to naturally and gently lengthen and deepen,
Not forcing any changes,
Just being with the ones that happen naturally,
Accompanying focused attention.
You can give yourself permission not to have a busy body or a busy mind as you arrive fully and completely in the present moment,
Allowing this moment to be enough.
And in the stillness of this moment,
You can allow the breath to become the most important thing.
But all you have to do is breathe in and breathe out.
Breathing in,
I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know that I am breathing out.
You can enjoy all the sensations of breath,
Noticing what it feels like to breathe,
Noticing where the breath enters the nostrils.
Maybe you can feel a slight flare of the nostrils,
A slight movement of the hairs on the upper lip,
How the air entering is cooler than the air exiting.
You can follow as the breath passes the throat.
Maybe you can feel the throat opening and relaxing,
Feeling the breath as it enters into the chest,
Feeling the rise and fall of the chest,
Feeling as the breath enters into the rib cage and diaphragm,
Expanding and contracting,
Feeling the breath as it enters deeper into the body,
Filling the belly,
The side body,
And the back.
We do not need to change the breath,
Control it,
Or alter it.
We just enjoy the sensations of breath just as they are.
And we notice the place within the breathing process that holds our attention best.
And we can call this home,
A place of comfort,
Calm,
And peace to return to at any moment,
So that anytime the mind is wandering,
Becoming busy or worried,
Very gently,
No judgment,
Guide the attention back home to the breath.
And with the attention on the breath,
You can observe the state of the body,
Of the mind,
Of the spirit,
And bring this present moment awareness with you as I ring the bell three times,
And we come back to our shared space.
