by Louise
A practice to sit and be with the breath. A more traditional mindfulness practice. Following the journey of the breath through the body. Focusing on this, allowing a chance for everything else to melt away.
Transcript
Mindful sitting practice. This practice will take around 20 minutes. Sitting in a chair or perhaps on some cushions on the floor. Feeling a grounded and solid base. Noticing the spine rising up. Allowing the eyes to softly close for these few moments. Whatever's been happening earlier today or previously, Giving that permission to move to one side, Just parking it over to the side for a few moments. We can always pick it back up on the way out if we wish. Choosing to engage with this practice, To be here, To attempt to be fully present for the next 20 minutes. Bring in attention to the points of contact between the surface that's supporting you. The feet, Perhaps the thighs, The seat bones and maybe even the small of the back. Noticing that pressure and contact. Bringing awareness to the alignment of the body. The weight of the head at the top of the spine. Noticing breath. Breath moving in and moving out. We don't have to breathe in any particular way. We're simply bringing our attention to this moment, To the breath just as it is. Breathing in and breathing out. We don't have anywhere else to be right now. There's nothing else we need to be doing right now. It's bringing our awareness to this breath. Whenever we find attention wanders away, That's okay. That's what minds can do. Just very gently bringing awareness back to this breath and this moment. Feeling the air, Making contact with the nostrils. Noticing the temperature, The in-breath, The out-breath. Breathing in and breathing out. Allowing awareness to move along the path of the breath. Feeling the throat and that area near the collar bones where flow of air gives way to sensations of bodily movement. The breath coming in and going out. Whenever we find attention has moved elsewhere, We very gently guide it back with a smile to this breath. Coming back with a gentle and kindly attitude. Each distraction, Each sensation from elsewhere in the body, Each thought is giving a chance to practice being mindful. Returning with intent to noticing this breath, To being fully in this moment. Breathing in and breathing out. Bringing our attention to the movement of the ribcage. Feeling the expansion on the in-breath, The ribs falling away on the exhalation. That steady flow as in-breath follows out-breath follows in-breath. Bringing attention to the ribs themselves and the front of the body, Around the sides and the points at the back where they join the spine. Where do I feel my breath most strongly? How does it feel to focus on the breath in the back of the body? Rest in our awareness here, Quite lightly for these few moments. Breathing in and breathing out. Expanding our in-breath down to the body of the lungs, To wherever the fullest point of the in-breath is for you. Noticing the sensations and movements that are available to awareness here. Breathing in and breathing out. We don't have to do this in any particular way and we don't have to breathe in any particular way. If breath feels constricted in any way, Then simply bringing our awareness to this. Breathing in and breathing out. Noticing where the end point of the in-breath is for you and that little turn from in-breath to out-breath. Is there a pause here? Or is it a smooth continuous movement? However this is for you, It's okay. We don't have to breathe in any particular way. We don't have to find this practice in any particular way. Just bring bringing our awareness back each time, Using the breath as our anchor, As our focus. Noticing if there are any movements of the belly that we can detect in awareness. Breathing in and breathing out. Resting awareness alongside the diaphragm, That large sheet of muscle that contracts and flattens out on an in-breath, Making space for that full inhalation. Relaxing back up to its umbrella shape on an out-breath. Reducing the size and space of the lungs and squeezing the air out. Breathing in and breathing out. Bringing awareness back to the whole of the breath, The complete breath. From nostrils down to the diaphragm. Resting awareness alongside the breath. Breath is a fully natural process. We don't have to do anything in order to breathe. Starts from the day we're born. It's a ceaseless act of in-breath, Following out-breath, Following in-breath. We're bringing our awareness alongside this simple and beautiful movement. Resting in the breath. Returning here whenever awareness is pulled elsewhere. Stop serving and being curious about my breath, How it is in this moment. Breathing in. Breathing out. Surfing the tide of the breath, Feeling the ebb and flow like the swell of the ocean. We don't have to do anything in particular with the breath. Simply using it as an anchor. Somewhere to place attention. Somewhere to find our way back to. Whenever attention has been pulled away by sensations from elsewhere in the body, By sounds or by thoughts. It's coming back to this breath. Breathing in. Breathing out. Bringing alongside the awareness of breath and awareness of the body. Feeling the torso, The seat bones, All the way up to the tops of shoulders. Where can I feel my breath? Can I feel it down in the hips and the pelvis? Can I feel it in the spine? What's about the tops of my shoulders? Can I feel my breath here? Can I feel it in the back of my neck? Can I feel it in the back of my head? Can I feel it in the back of my shoulders? Can I feel my breath here? We don't have to go looking for these echoes of breath. Simply resting awareness alongside the breath and the torso. Breathing in and bringing awareness to the four corners of the body, To the hips and to the shoulders. Becoming aware of these joints, The hip joints and the shoulder joints. What do I notice here? What sensations are available to my awareness? Breathing in to these joints and then allowing awareness to flood out and along all four limbs, The legs all the way down from hips to soles of feet, The arms all the way along from shoulders to hands, Tips of fingers and thumbs. Bring in this wider spatial awareness to our mindful experience. Feeling breath, Feeling torso, Feeling limbs. Again, We don't have to do this practice in any particular way. There's nothing we're supposed to find here. Bringing our awareness alongside just what is right now. Bringing our awareness alongside just what is right now. Each time awareness wanders away, Just gently returning our attention. Just being with the body, Resting alongside the sensations of the body's experience. Be that any pain or discomfort, Any tension, Any itches or fidgets, Any difficult feelings, Perhaps boredom, Irritation. Allowing some space for those to be there, Using the breath to help create space around the bodily experience just as it is right now. And breathing up along the spine to the topmost part of the spine, Allowing awareness to fill the head, The neck and throat, The face. Noticing any areas of tension or holding. The face is often a good place to look at. How am I feeling right now? It's the brow tense, The jaw tense. If you wish, Allowing the breath to bring a softening element. As we move our awareness through different areas of our body, We're not aiming to be rid of tension, But sometimes it can bring a softening. Breathing in, Breathing out. Becoming aware of the whole space of the body, The head and face, The neck and throat, The limbs, The upper limbs of arms, The lower limbs of legs, The torso, Spine and ribs, The lungs inflating and deflating. Holding our awareness lightly over the whole space of the body, Taking this time to be with the body and the breath working together. Allowing awareness to move wherever it wishes within the space of the body. Breathing in and breathing out. We don't have to be anywhere else right now. We don't have to do anything else right now. We've given ourselves permission to take this time for our practice, To be with our experience just as it is. The simplicity of the breath, Ceaselessly moving in and moving out. The sensations of the breath. My body from the crown of the head to the tips of the toes. Noticing just how it is right now and making sure that it's not too much. Noticing just how it is right now and making space for any difficulty. Perhaps any grumbles or pain that's coming up for you. Just allowing some space for that to be there. The body doesn't have to be perfect. It's bringing our attention to things as they are right now. Bringing a sense of gentleness, Perhaps a softening quality to the breath. Breathing in and breathing out. Being alongside my experience being alongside my experience. Just as it is right now. Breathing in and breathing out. Each new breath can bring renewed intention to be in this moment, To stay with my experience. This body sitting and breathing. Acknowledging whenever thoughts pull attention away. Then coming back to physical sensations. The feeling of the air at the nostrils. The movement of the ribs and this body sitting. Breath coming in and going out. We don't have to do this practice in any particular way. It's bringing our awareness back to this space of the body. Any sensations or feelings that are pulling on attention, We can go and explore these. Breathing in and breathing out. Around any areas of particular interest, Being curious and open to our experience of things just as they are right now. To experiencing our breath and our body just as they are right now. Breathing in and breathing out. Breathing in and breathing out. Bringing renewed intention to be fully present with each in breath. Whenever we notice the mind's wandered away, Then that's been an opportunity to come back with mindful awareness. To being alongside our experience just as it is. To feeling the posture, The alignment of the body, Feeling your breath, However that is for you right at this moment. Having a few more mindful breaths. Feeling that air and that flow. The ocean swell of the in breath, Followed by the out breath, Followed by the in breath. Breathing in and breathing out until you hear the sound of the bell that will let you know that this practice has ended.
