Find a comfortable position,
Either sitting on a chair or cushion,
Or lying down if you prefer.
If you're sitting,
Try and sit with your back straight so that your posture embodies a sense of being awake and alert,
But not tensed up.
Let your shoulders relax and place your hands in your lap.
If you're lying down,
Have your arms by your sides and your feet falling away from each other.
Now just taking the time to let go of everything today leading up to this point.
Letting go of planning,
Doing,
Thinking,
Worrying,
And just allow yourself to arrive fully in this moment,
In this space,
For the duration of this practice.
And feeling the sensations of your feet on the floor,
Grounding you to the space you're in,
And connecting you with the earth.
Feeling the sensations of whatever is supporting you as you sit or lie here,
And where it connects with the different parts of your body.
Focusing now on your breath,
By taking a deep breath,
Holding it for a moment,
And then letting it out.
Feeling the sensation of the breath as it enters the nostrils,
Inflating the abdomen,
And as you exhale,
Noticing the deflation as the air passes back out through the nostrils.
If it feels comfortable,
You can place your hand on your abdomen as you do this.
We're just going to take a few more breaths in this way.
Breathing deeply in,
Holding for a second,
And then breathing fully out.
And when you're ready,
Just letting your breath return to its normal rhythm,
Keeping your attention on the sensations of the breath flowing in and out of the body at its own pace,
In its own way.
And notice how this effortless act happens all by itself,
Without our having to do anything at all to make it happen.
Take your attention to the place in the body where you're most aware of the breath.
That may be the tip of the nose,
The nostrils,
The back of the face,
The chest,
Or the abdomen.
Notice where your attention takes you,
And hold it there for a few moments while you breathe,
Noticing the sensations the breath brings about in that area.
There's no need to try and force or change the breath in any way.
Simply let it breathe by itself as you observe how that feels in your body.
After a while,
You might become aware that your mind has wandered away from the breath to other thoughts.
This is perfectly normal,
And when you notice this has happened,
Just gently bring it back to the breath and the sensations of the breathing,
Starting again with the deeper breath,
And then letting go to the breath's natural rhythm as before.
And throughout this meditation,
Each time the mind wanders,
Just gently bringing it back to the breath and the sensations of the breath as it enters and leaves your body.
Simply do this as many times as you need to during the practice,
Without judgment,
Without criticism,
And with compassion.
And if it feels comfortable,
Expand your awareness now to take in a sense of the whole body as you sit here,
Breathing into the whole body and out through the whole body.
You might notice your breath naturally deepens as you imagine the breath flowing through every part of your body,
Your head,
Neck,
Chest,
Chest,
Torso,
Arms,
Hips,
Pelvis,
Thighs,
Knees,
Calves,
Ankles,
And toes.
Notice any sensations that arise in any of these regions as you direct the breath to them,
Any tingling,
Vibrations,
Warmth or coolness.
And when you're ready,
Letting go of the breath so that your attention is simply resting in the stillness you've created.
And when you're ready,
Taking your attention back to the breath by taking a deep breath,
Holding it for a moment,
And then letting it out,
Feeling the sensation of the breath as it enters the nostrils,
Inflating the belly.
And as you exhale,
Notice the deflation as the air passes back out through the nostrils.
Just going to take a few more breaths in this way,
Breathing deeply in,
Holding for just a moment,
And then breathing fully out.
And now,
It's letting your breath return to its normal rhythm,
But keeping your attention on the sensations of the breath flowing in and out of the body at its own pace,
In its own way.
And as this meditation comes to an end,
Remember that your breath is always there for you as an anchor to the present moment,
And that by bringing our attention to the breath,
We can step out of doing and into being,
Cultivating calm and inner peace.
