Bringing Mindful Attention To The Breath And Body

Hello,

I'm Kelly Dennis.

Welcome to this mindfulness meditation designed to just help you relax,

To reduce stress,

And to perhaps get more in touch with yourself.

So go ahead and get into a comfortable position with your head,

Neck,

And spine straight.

You can also be lying down if you're not afraid you'll fall asleep.

And so the idea behind mindfulness is being able to pay attention to what's happening moment by moment and letting go of what isn't useful and bringing your attention back to whatever it is you're focusing on.

Today we're going to talk about focusing on the breath,

And then we'll shift to focusing on the body,

And then we'll return to the focus on the breath again.

So with this mindfulness meditation,

You'll want to be aware of when your mind has wandered away.

That's perfectly normal,

That's what minds do.

Just notice where it went,

And then gently bring it back to your breath or your body,

Whatever we're working on in that moment.

So for now,

If it feels safe and comfortable to do so,

Go ahead and just close down your eyes.

If that doesn't feel right for you,

That's okay too.

Just go ahead and soft focus someplace down past your nose.

And get into a comfortable position.

If you have to shift around a little bit,

That's okay too.

And now just bringing your awareness to your breath.

You don't have to change it in any way.

Just becoming aware of the act of breathing.

You might notice that your belly or your chest rises on the inhale,

And it releases on the exhale.

Sometimes it's helpful to put your hand on your belly,

So that when you inhale,

Your hand rises or pushes out.

And when you exhale,

Your belly deflates like a balloon.

Or you might find the air as it enters and exits your nose.

The air is a little bit cooler on the inhalation.

After your body warms it up,

It's a little warmer on the exhalation.

And so just focusing in on this rise and fall of your body as you breathe,

Or the way the air enters and exits your nose.

And you might begin to notice a rhythm to your breathing.

Just following that rhythm,

So that when you're breathing in,

You're aware that you're breathing in.

And when you're breathing out,

You're aware that you're breathing out.

By now,

Your mind has already probably wandered away,

And that's okay.

Just notice where it went.

Perhaps it went to the to-do list or some sort of critical thoughts about what you're doing.

That's okay.

Just bring it back now to your breath.

Finding your breath in your body once again.

The way your body feels on the inhalation.

Perhaps noticing the little pause before the exhalation.

And each time your mind wanders,

You just very gently bring it back to your breath.

You might have to do this again and again and again.

And so you do this with gentle curiosity.

No criticism or judgment.

Just noticing the breath.

The in and the out.

The up and the down.

The rhythm of your breathing.

And if you want to,

You can do some counting.

Sometimes that helps people to stay focused.

So you can breathe in to the count of four.

And then exhale to the count of six.

Once again,

Breathing in to the count of four.

And breathing out to the count of six.

And then breathing in whatever way feels good to you.

Allowing the awareness now to shift as you continue to breathe comfortably and easily.

Bringing your awareness now to the soles of your feet.

Noticing the physical sensations in the soles of your feet.

See if you can shift away from thinking about the soles of your feet to just experiencing the physical sensations in the soles of your feet.

You might notice tingling,

Coolness,

Numbness,

Warmth.

Coming around to the tops of your feet and your toes.

Noticing the physical sensations in your ankles and your lower legs.

The backs of your knees.

The tops of your knees.

Your thighs.

Your bottom as it sits in the chair.

The physical sensations in your hips and your lower back and your low belly.

Much like we did with the breathing.

If you notice that your mind wanders away or it has some sort of criticism about whatever body part we're talking about,

That's okay.

Again,

Just noticing.

No judgment.

Just coming back to noticing the physical sensations in your belly,

Your sides,

The middle of your back,

Your chest,

Your upper back.

Noticing the physical sensations in your shoulders.

Coming down into your upper arms and your elbows,

Your forearms,

All the way down to your wrists and your hands,

To the tips of your fingers.

Noticing the physical sensations in your neck and your jaw,

Around your ears and your face,

Your forehead,

That little space between your eyebrows,

To the top of your head and the back of your head.

Just noticing now your body as a whole and allowing the physical sensations to just be there,

Not really having to change or fix anything.

Just noticing.

And now returning your attention to your breath,

Finding it in your body once more.

Knowing that there's really nothing to bother you and nothing to disturb you right now,

As you breathe comfortably and easily.

Perhaps this is the first time you're practicing some mindfulness and some meditation.

Maybe you're a seasoned practitioner,

But every experience is exactly how it should be for you.

And so just noticing your breath in your body,

Bringing some gratitude for your breath.

The way for most of us,

We just effortlessly breathe.

Unless we're sick or something,

We don't really pay too much attention to our breath,

So it's always there.

You can use your breath as grounding.

Breathing in and breathing out helps you to slow down.

And when you're bringing awareness to the rhythm of your breath and you're slowing down,

Your mind is slowing down as well.

Settling,

Centering,

Perhaps bringing some peace and some calm.

And so now,

If it feels comfortable to do so,

Go ahead and place your hand on your chest or on your cheeks or give yourself a little hug.

Some place where you can feel the gentle pressure and the warmth of your hand.

As you breathe,

Just feeling the heaviness of your hand in a comforting kind of way.

Soothing,

Comforting,

Bringing a sense of peace and stillness.

And now,

If you'd like to,

You can repeat some phrases that I'm going to say,

Either in your mind or out loud.

Maybe you have phrases of your own that are important to you.

May I be peaceful.

May I be happier.

May I be kind.

May I be healthy.

May I suffer less.

And then bringing to mind someone that you love who loves you very much.

This might be a person or a pet or a spiritual being.

May we be peaceful.

May we be happier.

May we be kind.

May we suffer less.

And now releasing your hand on your chest or your cheeks.

And then taking a nice full deep breath in and letting it out.

Wiggling your fingers and your toes.

And opening your eyes and returning to the room whenever you're ready.

Perhaps this was something that landed well for you today.

Maybe it was a little harder to get to a place of centeredness.

Just know that I'm honored that you've spent this time with me here today.

And that you can return to this meditation at any time when you might need some centering or some peacefulness.

Or you might feel some anxiety and need to calm down.

This is a good basic meditation to practice again and again.

Thank you my friends.

Be well and have a wonderful day.