Living Mindfully: Breath Awareness Meditation

Welcome to day one of your mindfulness challenge.

Day one is awareness of the breath.

Today,

We cultivate a gentle awareness of the present moment by focusing on the breath.

So go ahead and get settled,

However that may be for you in this moment.

Find yourself a comfortable position,

Either sitting or lying down.

In any case,

You want to be as comfortable as you can be.

Clothing is loose and no restrictions on your body.

And if you feel ready to,

You can close your eyes.

Allow your eyelids to close down.

That offers us less distraction of the outside world and allows us to bring our attention inside.

And take one full deep breath,

Inhale,

And exhale.

As you settle in,

It may help to bring one palm to your heart and one palm to your lower belly.

And as you breathe,

Start to notice the rise and the fall of your chest and your belly.

As you breathe,

Maybe begin to notice with every inhale,

Cool air entering through your nostrils and warm air exiting through your nostrils.

You're just allowing your breath to be at its natural rhythm,

Placing your attention on the sensation of breathing,

Both the air entering and exiting,

And your body's movement as you breathe.

If your mind starts to wander,

This is natural.

Simply notice,

Let it go without judgment,

And just bring yourself back,

Back to your breath.

You can use a simple cue.

I'm breathing in,

I'm breathing out,

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

Remember,

Throughout your practice,

It's normal for your mind to wander.

There is no goal,

And it isn't to clear the mind.

It's just to become aware of when your mind wanders,

And just gently calling it back to the present moment.

As we start to come to a close,

Maybe you can wiggle your feet,

Drawing just a little bit of movement back into your body.

And before you open your eyes,

Allow yourself a moment to reflect.

How did it feel to focus on your breath today?

Any sensations?

Were you able to notice when your mind wandered?

And how did it feel to bring it back to the moment?

Your meditation is now complete.