Breathing For Mindfulness

Hello there,

And thank you for being here.

My name is Melissa,

And I will guide you through the next few minutes of mindfulness.

Wherever you are,

Take a pause.

Take a seat if you can.

And if it's possible,

Bring your eyes to a close,

Or soften the gaze,

Maybe focusing on a spot on the floor,

Letting the eyelids droop a little bit.

Now bring your attention to your breath,

Not changing anything about it right now,

Just noticing.

Notice what the air feels like as it comes in through your nose,

And leaves through your nose.

Notice what happens to your belly,

To your chest,

To your shoulders,

When you breathe air in,

And when you exhale air out.

Let's now try to lengthen the breath,

Adding maybe one or two seconds to your inhale.

So breathe in,

And then breathe in a little more,

And then exhale,

And exhale a little more.

Continue lengthening your breath,

Noticing any changes in your body or in your mind.

And if the mind wanders,

As it tends to do,

Gently bring your attention back to your breath.

After your next exhale,

Return your breath to your normal pace of breathing,

Noticing how you feel,

And as we wrap up,

Maybe wiggle the fingers and the toes,

Maybe roll the neck,

Just to get the body moving again,

Signaling that it's time to continue with your day.

Gently blink the eyes open,

Bring your eyes back into focus,

And continue on with your day.

Thank you for joining me for this meditation.

I wish you a peaceful day.