Body and Breath Meditation Let's begin with sitting comfortably.
Sit in a position where you can be relaxed and alert at the same time.
Maybe on crossing your legs,
Have your feet flat on the floor with a straight back.
And then having your hands on top of your legs or folded together in your lap,
Whatever feels most comfortable.
And then perhaps closing your eyes.
And just becoming aware of your body sitting here.
Allowing to settle down.
Letting your body be held and supported by the chair beneath you.
And perhaps noticing what thoughts are going through your mind,
What feelings are here.
And whatever there is,
Trying not to judge it.
But just noticing what is here right now.
And then tuning in to the world around you.
What sounds are here?
Sounds near you?
Sounds further away?
Just noticing them without making up any stories around them.
Just listening to the sounds for a few moments.
And then we're letting go of the sounds and we're moving our attention to our breath.
We're just trying to follow one whole in-breath and one whole out-breath.
Trying to be really curious about the sensations of breathing.
Perhaps noticing your chest expanding.
Or maybe feeling the colder air moving into your nostrils.
And warmer air coming out as you breathe out.
Or perhaps you feel the breathing sensations in your stomach,
Where your stomach moves slightly up and down.
Just trying to follow another in-breath and then another out-breath.
And sometimes it helps with the focus to simply say to yourself when you're breathing in,
Breathing in.
And then when you breathe out,
Breathing out.
So perhaps trying that now.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Not forcing it.
Not forcing the breath,
Just following your natural breathing.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
And each time the mind wanders,
As it will,
Nothing's gone wrong because that's just what our minds do.
You simply notice that.
And then very kindly but firmly,
You take your attention back to the sensations of breathing.
And we just spend a few moments more just focusing on our breath.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
And then as we come to the end of this meditation,
Perhaps taking some deeper breaths,
Becoming aware of the sounds around you,
Maybe wiggling your toes and your fingers.
And then when you're ready,
Opening your eyes and perhaps having a nice stretch.
