Sitting with the breath and body.
This practice is usually done in a seated position,
Perhaps sitting on something like a dining room chair if that's possible.
If that's not possible just find a chair or position that feels right for you.
If you can,
Sit slightly forward so your back comes away from the back of the chair,
Allowing your spine to follow its natural curves.
Sitting upright,
But not uptight.
And just allowing your shoulders to fall back and down,
Letting go of them a little if you can.
And closing your eyes if that feels ok,
Or having an unfixed gaze in front of you if you prefer.
And always remembering that you can disengage from this practice or shift focus if it feels too intense at any time,
Doing whatever you need to do to look after yourself.
Now becoming aware of the breath,
Noticing the breath as it moves in and out of the body.
And perhaps noticing the sensations of the breath in the belly.
Noticing the stretching of the skin on each in-breath and the gentle release on each out-breath.
Not trying to change the breath in any way,
Just letting the breath breathe itself as it always does.
You might find it helpful to place your hand on the belly to notice the full duration of each in-breath and the full duration of each out-breath.
And as best you can,
Noticing the breath with gentleness,
Almost like the way a butterfly might land on a leaf.
Just gently notice this breath and this breath.
The mind will wander many times during this practice because that's what minds are designed to do and we're not trying to stop the mind from wandering because that's impossible.
But simply notice when the mind has wandered,
Acknowledge where it's wandered to and in a kind way bring your attention back to the sensations of the breath in the belly.
Allowing the breath to anchor you back to the present moment over and over again.
Noticing the mind has wandered is a moment of awareness,
A moment of waking up to the present moment experience.
That's what this practice is all about,
Getting to know your mind better and what pulls it away from the present moment.
And just practicing this now in the next few moments of silence,
Sitting with the breath and coming back to the breath,
Over and over.
Each breath is a new beginning,
Each out-breath is a letting go.
And if the mind's wandered,
Just notice where the mind's wandered to,
Perhaps label the thought such as,
Ah there's planning or there's worrying,
There's judging.
Once you've noticed where it's wandered to and labelled it if that's helpful,
Just bringing your awareness back to the sensations of the breath in the belly.
The breath's always here,
Available as an anchor back to the present moment.
And inviting you now to expand your attention around the breath to the whole body breathing as best you can,
Including the many and various sensations throughout the whole body wherever they are.
And always remembering your own self-care,
Engaging or disengaging from this practice in whatever way works for you.
But if you can now,
Noticing sensations of the body against whatever surface you're on.
Noticing where the contact of the body is with the surface beneath you,
Perhaps the contact between the skin and the chair.
Maybe noticing the sensations of the feet on the floor,
Of your hands in your lap,
Or any other sensations on the surface of the skin through to inside the body.
Perhaps noticing how sensations arise,
Disappear and change over time.
We're not necessarily thinking about the sensations,
But feeling directly what's there to be felt.
And you might like to zoom into particular sensations,
Exploring them,
Coming up close.
And at other times,
You might like to zoom out and hold the whole body in a broad,
Spacious awareness.
And just using the next moments of silence now to sit with the sensations of the body and noticing the sensations as they arise and fall away.
And sitting for longer periods like this,
It's not unusual for intense sensations or discomfort to arise.
If this happens,
You can choose how to respond.
You can shift the posture intentionally to be more comfortable,
Being aware of the movements as you adjust and noticing the after effects.
Or you could go back to the previous position,
Being aware of the movements as you adjust and noticing the after effects.
Or you could come up close to the sensations of intensity,
Bringing your awareness right up to and into them.
Maybe breathing into and out of the area of the body,
Using the breath to explore the sensations.
This isn't to try to get rid of the sensations,
But to notice their nature.
Noticing the changing patterns of sensations,
The changing intensity,
And just being open to them,
Exploring them.
Maybe noticing where they begin,
Where they end,
And how they change over time.
Always knowing that if at any time the sensations become too intense,
You can take your attention to the breath in the belly.
Or do whatever you need to do to look after yourself in that moment.
And if you explore the sensations and the intensity stops pulling for your attention,
Just returning your awareness back to the whole body sitting or lying here,
Just as it is right now.
Checking in with yourself from time to time,
Noticing any distractions,
Noticing where your mind is pulling you away to,
Pulling you away from the present moment,
Maybe by daydreams or thoughts or emotions,
And just being aware of your reaction to these distractions.
Noticing if any sensations of anger or frustration appear,
Any tensing or bracing.
And cradling any and all of these sensations,
Cradling any and all of these sensations in awareness,
Allowing things to be just as they are,
Just for now,
As much as possible.
Then as we bring this practice to a close,
Just being aware of your whole body,
On the chair or the surface you're on,
Holding all sensations in a wide awareness.
And now noticing the sensations of the feet on the floor,
And if the clothes gently opening your eyes,
Returning to your surroundings,
If you like to just gently moving the body in any way that feels supportive.
As this practice comes to an end.
