Let's begin by bringing some awareness to our breath.
Notice the breath as it enters the tip of your nostrils and your nose.
Invite the breath in to wash over you,
Settling into your seat,
Relaxing into your posture,
Clearing the mind of any thoughts to open to the experience of sensations.
As you notice the breath entering your nostrils,
Invite any smells or scents in your room,
Outdoors,
To enter your space.
Notice if the expression of these scents is strong or faint.
What is the experience?
The inhalation and the exhalation as you search for any fragrances that are present.
With your next breath,
Leave the space of your nostrils and draw the breath into your mouth,
Now opening up to the sensations of taste.
Bring some curiosity to noticing if there are any flavors in your mouth,
Lingering from previous tastes of food,
Or if you choose to take a bite,
What is the sensation of what you're placing in your mouth?
Notice if there are any images or colors or other sensations associated with taste,
As you notice the tip of your tongue,
The flavors on the roof of your mouth,
And as you swallow.
Notice the distinction between experiencing taste in the present moment versus experiencing the story of taste in the present moment.
With your next breath,
Let's leave the area of the mouth.
Draw the breath through the sinuses and now focus on your ears and the sense of sound.
Notice what sounds are farthest from you first,
And then slowly bring that awareness in close.
Notice if you can experience the sounds as sounds without putting a label to what it is you're hearing,
Noticing the pitch,
Tone,
Perhaps frequency or how loud or quiet.
What is the farthest sound that you hear?
Can you hear now the sound of your own breathing and your breath?
Notice the experience of breathing as sound.
Now with your next breath,
Draw it deeply into your chest and your belly,
Taking a full breath and shifting to the sense of touch.
Notice the experience and sensations of the skin.
Here you can do this by placing your hands together or noticing how they feel,
Resting on your lap or wherever they're resting.
Are you warm or cold,
Perhaps dry or moist?
Tune in to the sensation of your clothing against your skin as you breathe in and out.
Notice the experience of the soles of your feet or your seat as you rest on the ground.
The sensation of touch along the lengths of your legs,
The bottoms of your feet.
Notice the sensation of touch at the tips of your fingers.
There's any tingling or warmth.
Now shifting from the sensation of touch,
I invite you to very loosely allow some light to penetrate your eyelids on your next breath,
Softening the eyes,
Opening to a gentle gaze,
Inviting the periphery of your vision to enter.
And experiencing what you see as a sensation of sight,
Colors,
Patterns,
Textures,
Depth.
And as you invite more light to enter,
Noticing the contrast between a soft peripheral gaze and a focused central view.
Notice if you can experience sight in all its richness without attaching labels to what it is you're viewing.
And become present to the interplay between sight and breath.
Now as we close out our practice,
I invite you to offer some gratitude for the experience of the sensations and for anything else in your life that you have gratitude for.
Take a few deep breaths,
Clearing the mind,
Clearing your focus on the senses and even all that you're grateful for.
And then when you hear the bell,
We can return to our space together.
