Welcome.
This is the invitation to practice breath count.
Counting our breath as a fundamental practice for developing focus and connection with ourselves.
So this is a more detailed instruction of the method of breath count.
You may want to follow this method if you have never practiced breath count before or if you would like to refresh your approach.
To start,
Find a comfortable and upright position in your body.
Even though of course you can practice breath count at any moment,
Any time,
In any body position,
Whether laying down in bed or even while walking.
For now,
Let us practice sitting upright.
Have a tall,
Erected spine,
Your chest slightly open,
Your shoulders soft.
Now close your eyes and set the intention that for the next few minutes of this practice you are going to keep your attention inward,
Inside you.
Really feeling,
Really sensing with curiosity,
Openness and self-compassion.
So as your attention is inward,
Have a small check-in with your body.
Where do you feel your feet touching the floor?
Where do you feel other body parts touching your environment?
Cushion,
Chair.
If you feel any tensions in your body,
Such as in your shoulders,
Then soften them a little with your next out-breath.
Now start becoming aware of your in-breath and out-breath.
And notice where in your body you can actually feel your breath right now.
So make sure you are really breathing,
Not knowing that you are breathing,
But really feeling it in your body,
Moment to moment.
And you choose one body part,
One spot on which you are going to focus throughout the practice,
Where you can really sense your breath.
It can be your belly rising and falling or your chest expanding and relaxing.
Maybe it's the flow of air in your throat or in your nose or in your nostrils.
Choose a spot,
Choose an area where you can sense your breath.
If you are fairly new to these kind of embodiment,
Awareness,
Mindfulness practices,
Then you may want to choose an area that is large,
Like your whole belly expanding and softening.
If you are a little bit more advanced,
You may want to use a more subtle area,
Like your nose or even just the nostrils.
And now bring attention to that area and just follow and feel your in- and out-breath.
And your breath,
Your breathing can be a natural pattern of in and out.
It can be fast or slow,
Deep or shallow,
Regular or irregular.
Just let it flow naturally in and out,
As if you were reading a book or just laying in bed relaxing.
And you are now beginning to count your breath.
In one and out one.
The next in two and out two.
The next in three,
Out three,
And so forth.
So you're counting your breath,
You're using your breath as your focus of attention.
And you may notice that your mind goes on a hike,
That there are maybe different voices or other body parts distracting you from really sensing your breathing and counting.
And whenever your mind has gone on a little hike and you notice that you have been distracted,
Just say to yourself,
Huh,
Interesting.
And then you return to one and start counting again.
Or if you do make it all the way up to 10,
You may also want to return to one.
So this practice is not about how high you can count.
It is about how honest can you be with yourself?
Can you really sense your breathing?
How does each breath really feel like?
Warm or cold?
Is it tickling?
Can you feel the heartbeat in that area?
Take each breath as if it was your very first breath ever.
If counting your breath with the numbers confuses you,
You may also simply silently just say in,
Out,
In,
Out.
Using the numbers will help you,
Especially in the beginning,
To keep track and to realize when your mind has wandered off.
And last but not least,
Important is an attitude of self-compassion.
So do this within open mind,
With curiosity,
Not with harshness or a competitive mindset.
Just be curious.
What happens?
How does my breath really feel?
How can I focus just on sensing my breath in my body?
How does my mind respond?
Now practice for as long as you wish.
Another minute,
Another five,
Ten or even more minutes.
Just observing your breath,
Always returning to your breath as your object of attention.
