Meditation to Breath Awareness.
Welcome back,
I'm Doctor Ed Rainbow.
This meditation is to notice your breath,
Your body,
The connection between your thoughts and physical sensations.
Last time we reconnected with the body,
This time we're going to link your mind and body.
Find a comfortable sitting position,
However you feel most comfortable,
A chair or lying on the floor,
Whatever works for you.
If you're sitting,
Sit upright,
But not rigid,
Alert,
But not tense.
If you're on the floor,
Just relax your arms out to the side with your palms turned upwards,
Aware,
Dignified,
Here,
Now.
Let's settle in as you lower your gaze,
With three deeper breaths,
In and out through your nose,
In and out,
In and out,
In and out.
Just let your breath now return to its natural rhythm,
Not trying to control the breath in any way,
Just let the breath breathe itself.
Find a place in your body where you can feel your breath clearly,
At your nostrils,
At your ears,
As the coolness comes in and the warmth out,
Or in your chest,
As it rises and falls,
Or maybe your belly,
As it expands and release.
Just choose one,
That's your anchor.
Notice your breath now,
Just rest the center of your attention on your breath,
At your anchor.
You don't need to make it shorter,
Longer,
Deeper,
Just notice it as it is,
In and out.
You'll notice your mind wandering,
That's guaranteed,
That's what the default mode network does,
When you notice your mind has wandered,
And you will.
The moment of noticing is the practice,
Is the win.
Don't judge yourself for wandering,
Just come back to the breath.
Each breath in,
And out.
Each breath,
An opportunity to be here now,
Just this breath,
As it is.
As the thoughts rise in your mind,
Say to yourself,
That's okay,
They're normal,
They're thoughts,
Just let them pass,
Bringing your attention back to your breath.
Each time you wander,
Just return to your breathing.
By practicing noticing returning,
We're strengthening your awareness,
You're building the muscle of attention.
Now,
Let's get more curious about where your mind goes.
Keep the anchor on your breath,
But when your mind wanders,
Just take a second,
Where did it go?
Worrying,
Replaying,
Just notice,
And label it,
A worrying thought,
A remembering thought,
Then let it go,
Come back to your breath.
There's no bad place for your mind to go,
You're just learning your own patterns.
Maybe you notice your mind goes to work,
Over and over,
It's information.
Maybe it goes to things that you need to do,
That's just information too,
Just notice,
Don't judge,
Don't act.
And now,
Gently return to your breath.
Now,
Let's expand the center of your attention,
From your breath to your whole body.
What's happening in your body now,
Is the tension,
Is the lightness,
Don't try to fix or change,
Just notice,
Your jaw,
Your hands,
Tension,
Softness,
Keep breathing.
With each breath in,
Your chest will rise,
With each breath out,
It will soften and release,
A chance to let go.
With this discomfort,
Physical,
Mental,
Imagine breathing into that space,
Not to make it go away,
But just to be with it,
To acknowledge it,
Your body is giving you information,
The practice is learning to listen.
If your mind keeps wondering,
Lots of thoughts,
That's fine,
Just bring it back to your breath,
Your body.
When your mind wanders to something stressful,
An email,
Conversation,
Where does it land in your body?
Notice,
Do your shoulders tighten,
Your stomach clench,
Your head tense?
What's true for you?
The mind and body are one and you are noticing it in real time.
Your default mode network makes a worry,
Your body responds as if the threat is real now.
This is what's been happening every day,
All day,
Without you realizing,
This practice is noticing,
There's a space between the thought and your reaction.
Thoughts come,
Sensations come,
You notice both and breathe.
You don't need to fix anything,
Just be aware and return to your breath.
As we approach the end of this practice,
Take a moment to notice how you feel,
Not how you think you should feel,
But how you feel,
Calmer,
Restless,
The same,
It's all okay.
We're not trying to be anything,
Just being present with whatever there is.
You spend this time paying attention to your breath,
Your body,
Your mind,
Yourself.
If you weren't on autopilot,
You're here now,
That matters.
Shortly,
You'll open your eyes and your day will be there,
The default mode network will kick back in.
That's normal,
That you have a tool,
A way to come back to yourself,
To notice when the autopilot has taken over,
To reconnect with your body before it has to shout.
Take your time coming back,
Notice sounds,
Sensations,
Gently open your eyes,
Gently reawaken your body,
Move your fingers,
Toes,
Welcome back to the world,
Welcome back to you.
