We're going to begin this meditation by coming into an upright sitting posture that embodies wakefulness and alertness,
But also allowing some softening,
Letting go of any unnecessary effort.
Begin by bringing your attention to the points of contact as your body meets the chair or ground beneath you,
Feeling the pressure here and any other sensations available to you.
Now moving your attention to the nostrils,
Feeling the coolness of the air on the inhale and the warmth on the exhale.
Now coming to focus on the belly,
Feeling the expansion of the belly on the inhale and the deflation on the exhale.
Becoming curious about qualities of the breath in this moment,
Perhaps you sense that your breathing is deep or shallow,
Long or short,
Smooth or ragged,
Not needing to judge the breath or change it in any way,
Just noticing with an attitude of curiosity and kindness.
How is your breath in this moment?
Not needing to think about it,
Just sensing it directly.
Now choosing a place where the breath is most vivid to you,
Whether it's the air moving through the nostrils or the belly,
And choosing that as your anchor for this practice is a place to continuously return your attention to.
If at any point your mind wanders into perhaps thoughts about the future or the past or to other feelings present in the body,
Just noticing where your mind has gone and gently bringing it back to the sensations of breathing.
Feeling the entire duration of an inhale,
And the entire duration of an exhale over and over again.
There's nothing wrong with it if your mind gets distracted into thoughts,
It's just what the mind does.
The practice is just becoming aware of where the attention is at any moment.
So noticing where it is and bringing it back to the breath again and again.
And seeing how you do not need to control or try to breathe,
And the body knows how to breathe itself and has been doing it since the moment you were born.
Knowing this,
Seeing if you can just let go of any control and just experience the breathing happening all on its own,
Just riding the waves of the breath from moment to moment.
And where is the attention now?
Recognizing that you have a choice of where to place your attention once you've become aware of it.
In these last few moments of this practice,
Recommitting to the intention of being with your breath fully.
And when you are ready,
Opening your eyes and returning the space around you,
Knowing that you can always return to the breath throughout your day as you move into your next activities.
