Find yourself sitting comfortably,
Ideally with your back lovely and straight,
And relaxed at the same time.
Finding yourself in a position gives you a sense of centeredness,
Dignity,
Stability and stillness.
Noticing the body sitting,
Be aware of the shape of the body in this position.
Notice any physical sensations.
Simply being with the body,
With no judgement or critiquing or analysis of any kind.
Simply observing.
And by simply allowing your mind to rest on this one thing,
On this wondrous physical body,
You are gently cultivating concentration,
Mental resilience,
Sovereignty over yourself,
Your mind.
And then bring your awareness to the breath in the body.
Finding the part of the body where the breath is most apparent.
That might be the belly or the chest,
The movement of your shoulders,
Perhaps the back of your throat or your nostrils.
And simply becoming aware of the breath,
Moving in and out of your body.
And as you notice your mind drifting off,
Wandering elsewhere,
Lost,
Simply guiding it back to the breath,
Gently,
Kindly.
Knowing that what we fight fights back,
What we resist persists,
And that compassion and kindness cultivate learning.
Meditation teacher and author Sharon Salzberg talks about this wandering and makes it clear that this is the most important moment in the whole process.
This moment after you've been lost or distracted.
That moment where you become aware and gently guide yourself back to your breath.
It's said that the healing is in the return,
Not in never having got lost in the first place.
So simply noticing that moment you've got lost and coming back.
This is the practice.
Being with the breath.
Kindly and softly guiding the mind back to the breath with purpose.
To simply be here,
Now.
Gently escorting your attention back to your breath at any time you notice it's elsewhere.
Doing this as many times as needed.
Knowing that this is the practice.
It's right.
Being with the breath.
Nourishing yourself with this simple,
Luxurious act of doing one thing at a time.
And in this gentle practice of awareness of your breath,
Doing a very loving,
Kind thing for yourself.
A deeply nourishing practice that is a gift to you.
Knowing that your own wellness is a gift to others.
Being with the breath.
Aware of the flow of breath and cultivating a peacefulness.
A sense of being easy about where your mind goes and how quickly it goes and how many times it goes.
And simply,
Gently coming back.
And now gently bringing your attention to the whole of your physical body.
Expanding your awareness from your breath to your whole body.
Sitting in this chair,
On this cushion.
And allowing your body to gently come a little more alive,
A little more awake.
And a little more aware of the space around you.
The sounds around you.
So that only when you're ready,
You can gently bring yourself back into the here and now,
Ready for the rest of your day.
