Intro To Meditation, Part 3

Welcome to the third and last session of this brief introductory course.

Let's start as usual by finding a comfortable sitting posture.

Remember to balance the quality of relaxation with the quality of alertness.

So even if you feel a bit tired you can keep yourself alert and aware.

Gently close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath as we did before.

Breathing normally and naturally through your nose.

Allow your mind to settle down using your breath to anchor yourself in the present moment.

And if you find yourself distracted by thoughts,

Simply notice that and as soon as you realize,

Bring your attention back to the breath coming in and the breath going out.

Bring up a sense of curiosity towards the breath.

See if you can pick up some of the details that you are not normally aware of.

Is there a difference in temperature between the inhalation and the exhalation?

Is the breath flowing through both nostrils equally?

Is it more prominent in the right nostril or maybe the left?

Let's practice like this in silence for a few moments.

And if your mind is still quite restless,

I'll invite you to count while you breathe.

Counting one on the inhalation and again one on the exhalation.

Counting two on the next inhalation and again two on the exhalation.

This is known as the counting method and you can use it to anchor your attention whenever your mind is restless or agitated.

You can count from one to ten in this way and then back from ten to one.

And after some time,

If your mind settles down,

Just drop the counting altogether and stay with the breath itself.

Let's take a few more minutes to practice.

Good.

Whenever you feel ready,

Gently open your eyes.

Thank you for taking this time to practice today.