This will be an awareness of breath practice.
Here we are looking to deepen our capacity for focused attention and concentration on a single object.
Additionally,
We're beginning to establish the breath as an anchor to the present moment for a distracted mind and a safe refuge for an upset mind.
Finding a comfortable seat and closing your eyes or lowering your gaze,
Whatever is more comfortable for you.
And taking a deeper than normal in-breath with an audible exhale to mark the transition into formal practice.
And allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Committing for the next six minutes or so to bringing a curious,
Good-natured awareness to the present moment,
Using your breath as an anchor.
As you settle into stillness,
Notice the experience you're having.
What is it like to be you right now?
Present with whatever is here moment to moment with a kind curiosity.
Now collecting all of your attention and placing it on the direct experience of the body breathing.
Feeling each breath as it enters and leaves.
No need to control the pace or the depth of the breath.
Simply being aware of the raw sensations of breathing.
You can see the breath as it reaches the nose.
Observing the breath at the tip of the nose,
Noticing the temperature of the air as it enters and any changes as it leaves.
Now shifting attention into the chest,
Noticing the expansion and contraction of the ribs.
Moving attention to the belly now,
Feeling the abdomen as it gently rises on the in-breath and falls on the out-breath.
Finally resting your attention wherever you feel the breath most easily in the body and staying here.
Now experimenting with the practice of counting your breaths.
Softly mentally count one after the next inhale and two on the exhale all the way to ten.
If you reach ten beginning again at one.
You Where are you now?
Simply noticing if the mind has wandered,
Which is completely normal and recommitting to counting your breaths.
You You You You you Taking one deeper than normal in breath.
And on the exhale,
Opening your eyes,
Raising your gaze,
And orienting to the room around you.
Nice work.
See you back here tomorrow.
