Hello,
It's great to see you.
I hope everyone is doing really well today.
If we haven't met before,
My name is Amber and I teach people how to meditate and use mindfulness to manage their stress and anxiety.
Today's meditation practice will be about 20 minutes of mindful breathing to help us connect back into our breath and into the present moment.
So go ahead if you're ready and find your comfortable position for today,
Maybe with your knees at 90 degree angle and your feet resting flat on the ground.
Maybe sitting cross-legged if that's comfortable for you and just finding a position that's comfortable,
But maybe not so comfortable that you'll fall asleep.
And maybe closing the eyes or letting your gaze rest downwards towards the floor in front of you.
And gently easing yourself in to this initial period of settling and slowing down.
And we will begin today's practice with 10 deep breaths.
And so I'll count them out for us,
But don't worry if you end up on your own cadence,
That's totally fine.
Everyone has different lung capacities,
So that's totally normal.
So together,
Let's draw a nice long inhale,
Just filling up the lungs as much as possible.
Pause briefly at the top and release everything out on your exhale.
That's one.
All right,
Again,
Inhale nice and slowly,
Not in a rush,
Filling up the lungs again,
Pausing at the top.
And when you're ready,
Exhale.
Inhale,
Notice the movement of the chest expanding outwards in all directions,
Front,
Back,
Sides.
And then slow and with control,
Exhale.
And that's three.
Just like that,
One more time.
Inhale,
Pause,
And exhale.
Exhale.
Four.
Inhale,
Pause,
And a long,
Deep exhale.
Five.
Just like that.
You're doing great.
Inhale,
Pause,
And exhale.
Six.
Noticing maybe if the mind has wandered away,
That's okay.
Bring it back.
Seven.
Inhale,
Pause,
And a deep exhale.
Eight.
Noticing how each breath is slightly different,
Each one totally unique.
And then last one,
Inhale.
We'll do the fullest and biggest breath today.
Pause at the top.
And then as slow as you can,
Exhale all the air out of the lungs.
And just release your control on the breath.
Let it flow however it wants to flow.
Just watching it happen naturally.
There's no pressure.
No expectations.
Simply noticing the breath flowing in and out.
Just being attentive to what's here in your awareness,
Right here and now.
Noticing which part of the breath has the strongest sensation.
Maybe the tip of the nose,
Or at the lips.
Maybe it's the gentle movement of the chest and belly.
And you might start to notice some thoughts popping up into your mind,
Taking your attention away from the breath.
Maybe things you need to do,
Or want to remember for later.
And without giving yourself a hard time,
Just bringing the attention right back to the breath.
Just gently,
Firmly guiding your mind back to the breath.
And what sensations can be felt right now in the present moment.
And maybe very gradually,
Starting to expand your awareness outwards,
Beyond the breath,
To include the entire body,
Exactly as it is today.
And the top and bottom,
Left and right sides,
Front and back.
Maybe noticing the temperature of the room that you're in.
Perhaps the gentle brush of air on your skin.
The feeling of your feet against the floor.
Aware as well of any sensations in the heart,
The chest,
That cavity around the heart,
The stomach,
The pit of the stomach.
And see if you can bring a really gentle,
Non-judgmental touch to whatever you may find.
Listening to the sounds in the room around you.
Maybe sounds coming from near or far.
Loud or quiet.
Being present even with the silences.
And just let yourself be.
Letting yourself take just a few moments of rest.
Fully present,
Fully relaxed,
And whenever you're ready you might start to let some light back into the eyes,
If you've closed them.
Bring some small gentle movements into the fingers and the toes.
Warm up the body again.
And come on back whenever you're ready.
Thank you so much for meditating with me today.
I hope you have a lovely rest of your day and I'll see you very soon.
