Begin by sitting comfortably with your back either straight or being supported and take a few moments to settle into your body.
Lay your hands comfortably in your lap,
Gently closing your eyes or maintaining a soft focus and take a few deep breaths.
On each exhale,
Allowing your shoulders to drop and gently releasing any tightness around your eyes and forehead,
In your jaw or in your shoulders,
Feeling any tension draining down and away from your body.
Now opening your awareness to the feeling of the breath as it moves through your body,
Seeing if you can feel the physical sensation of your breath passing in and out of your nostrils.
Being aware that when you breathe in,
The breath feels quite cold,
But once it's moved through your lungs and you breathe out again,
It feels slightly warmer.
And now starting to notice where in your body it's easiest for you to feel the physical sensation of your breathing.
As you breathe,
Can you feel the breath coming into your nose or past the back of your throat?
Or perhaps it's easier to feel the breath as it comes into your chest or down into your belly,
Feeling the expansion and contraction of your breath there.
And if you can't feel anything anywhere,
Then try putting a hand on your chest or your belly and feel it rising and falling softly as you breathe in and out.
And now choosing one of these points to concentrate on,
Either the nose or the chest or the belly,
Try paying attention to that point for the next two minutes until you hear the sound of the bell.
Breathing softly and feeling the slight movement of your chest and your belly rising with the in-breath,
Sinking with the out-breath,
Simply noticing the feeling of each breath,
Following each breath.
If you notice your attention wandering or becoming caught up in a stream of thought,
Simply acknowledge the thought and bring your attention back to the next breath,
Becoming aware of the feeling of the breath again.
And now as we come to the end of this practice,
When you hear the sound of the bell,
Listening until it fades,
Then slowly reactivating your body by wiggling your fingers and toes and when you are ready,
Gently opening your eyes.
