Sitting Meditation: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

Mindfulness of the breath.

Taking a comfortable position.

If you're seated on a chair,

Resting your feet on the floor with your legs uncrossed.

If you're on a cushion or a mat,

Then allowing yourself to adjust so you feel that your legs are balanced.

The weight is evenly distributed.

Resting your hands by your sides or on your lap and closing your eyes if that's comfortable or bringing your gaze downward.

Gathering your attention and turning it towards the physical sensations of your body seated here.

Noticing the sensation of pressure from whatever your body is seated on.

Where it's making contact with the chair or the floor.

Spending a few moments here noticing these sensations.

Turning your attention now to the sensation of breathing.

Resting your breath and noticing sensations wherever they're most vivid.

This may be the air movement at your nostrils.

Perhaps the temperature change as the air moves in as it moves out.

Might also be at the chest as it's rising and falling with every breath.

Or perhaps at the abdomen where it expands and contracts as you breathe in and as you breathe out.

Reminding yourself that there's no need to do anything here.

No need to change your breath.

No need to control it.

The goal of this practice is to observe what it feels like to breathe.

Pay attention and really notice what you're able to detect about your breath.

Trying to be as curious about it as you can.

As if each breath is something you're noticing for the first time.

This breath and then the next breath.

It's natural for the mind to begin to wander,

To either be distracted by sounds or other sensations or thoughts coming in about your past or about your day.

If this happens,

Gently redirecting your attention back to the breath.

The only thing to do is pay attention to your experience of breathing.

You might begin noticing how the air feels cool and dry as you breathe in.

And perhaps there's a warmth to it as you breathe out.

Noticing if you're able to detect a difference.

And remembering there's no right way to breathe.

There's only your experience in this moment.

Staying with the movement of your breath as you breathe in,

As you breathe out.

You may begin noticing that your abdomen is rising as you breathe in and gently falling as you breathe out.

Sometimes it's even helpful to place a hand on your abdomen.

Feeling the pressure of your abdomen against your hand as you breathe in.

And then moving away as you breathe out.

Keeping in mind that there's no need to change the way you're breathing.

It may happen naturally that you begin to take more breaths at your abdomen,

But there's no need to change it.

Your breath will continue to breathe naturally and you're not trying to do anything except observe your breath as it unfolds.

There's no need to analyze it or no need to judge it.

Becoming more and more familiar with your breath,

With your ability to sit here with yourself naturally.

Your body breathing effortlessly.

And allowing yourself that opportunity to be here in this moment.

The choice to not change anything.

To allow things to continue as they are.

Checking in with yourself every once in a while,

Noticing where your mind is focused.

How you still noticing the point of focus on your breath,

The sensation where it's most vivid.

Perhaps you're noticing the lungs as they expand and as they deflate.

Again,

If you notice your mind is wandered away.

Part of the practice is noticing where your mind has gone and bringing it back.

So if you notice that your mind has wandered,

This too is part of the practice.

Noticing that and gently returning your attention back to the breath.

Knowing not to judge yourself.

Trying to be accepting that your mind has wandered.

And not judging yourself for whatever thoughts or whatever images were coming into your mind.

Doing your best to be gentle with yourself.

That's part of the practice.

Allowing your breath to continue as it does.

Making room for it.

Being with it just as it is in this moment.

With every in breath and every out breath.

When your attention wanders,

You might even use your breath as a way to bring your attention back.

So when you breathe in on your next in breath,

Guiding your attention back as if you're collecting your awareness,

Your attention around your breath.

And then as you breathe out,

Settling back into your practice.

Back into this moment.

There's no need for judgment or harshness.

Using the skill of being at ease in this moment.

Being here with your body,

With your breath.

You might notice the beginning of each breath right at the point that it initiates.

And then there might also be a point in between each breath that you're able to focus on.

And then the initiation of the exhalation.

And then that moment,

That pause at the bottom of the exhalation before you breathe in again.

Your awareness might shift,

Noticing more the inhalations,

More the exhalations.

Or it might be focused more on the pauses in between each breath.

That space in between.

Opening yourself up to what's here in this moment.

Not focusing so much on the breath you had before.

Or not focusing on thoughts about how you should be breathing.

Or rather,

Just having the breath be here as it is right now.

Breathing in,

The air moving inside your body.

Breathing out,

Allowing it to pass through.

Perhaps you might start feeling a sense of spaciousness or a sense of focus.

Perhaps you're continuously bringing your attention back again and again.

Continue making room for the breath.

Opening,

Noticing.

Really trying to bring that awareness to each breath again and again.

There might be something new that you notice of the next breath.

Or even just a slight subtle change in the body,

A small shift,

A small lengthening in the breath.

With each in-breath allowing the breath to flow in and each out-breath allowing it to flow out.

If you notice any challenging sensations arising in the body,

Bringing that curious mind to them.

Rather than judging them or criticizing them or yourself in any way.

Thinking if you can explore their characteristics,

The sensations.

And if the sensations are too strong or too aversive,

You might try breathing into them.

Breathing in,

Expanding,

Opening.

Breathing out,

Softening.

And you might also feel the need to shift positions.

If so,

Seeing if you can do this with intention and deliberation.

And then returning back to the focus of your breath,

Moving in and out.

Having that curious mind with every in-breath,

Every out-breath.

And when the attention wanders,

Very gently bringing it back again.

Really trying to practice the sense of ease and intention and gentleness.

Coming back to the present moment again and again.

This can be achieved by letting go of where the mind was.

Breathing out,

Letting go.

Breathing in,

Bringing your attention back.

Coming back to the breath,

Coming back to the focus of your practice.

That's as much of a part of mindfulness as focusing on the breath itself.

The moment that you become aware that your mind has wandered.

That's being mindful of the moment.

And then the practice of bringing it back,

That too is mindfulness.

Continue being aware of your body,

The sensations of your breath.

The points in between the pauses of your breath.

Really practicing being present here.

The breath is always with you,

Always present and always changing.

And you're always able to use it to anchor your attention back.

Remember being with the sensations of the breath.

This can help you to be present moment by moment.

Throughout your day,

Throughout each experience.

So in a few moments this practice will end.

And seeing if you can bring this moment to moment awareness through the next few moments of your day.

Knowing that your breath is always here and you're always able to step back into noticing,

Observing the sensations.

Using your breath,

The out breath to let go and the in breath to bring your attention back.

When you're ready,

Noticing the sensations of your body seated here.

Really being curious if anything has shifted or changed.

Seeing the pressure,

The weight of your body seated against this chair or this mat or floor.

And then when you're ready,

Opening your eyes.