Hello and welcome to SoulSparks.
Our focus for today's practice will be breath awareness,
Which naturally brings us into the present moment.
Go ahead and get settled in a comfortable spot where you'll be undisturbed and consent in an upright position.
Your hands can rest comfortably on your lap,
Your palms can be up for a more energizing meditation,
Or palms down for more grounding.
If during the meditation you need to shift your position,
Feel free to do so mindfully.
Your eyes can be closed or half closed with a downward gaze.
I'll invite you to let go of expectations and to be kind to yourself.
Let's get started.
Let's first take some natural breath,
Just noticing where you're feeling the air coming into your body.
Perhaps it's your nose or your chest or your belly.
And let's now begin to take a few deeper breaths as you begin to inhale and exhale through your nose.
If breathing through your nose isn't comfortable,
Feel free to adjust to what works for you.
And now we'll begin to continue to deepen the breath.
On your next inhale,
Imagine as if you're blowing up a balloon in your stomach as you feel your belly expand.
And then slowly exhale all the air out of your balloon.
Again inhaling as you blow up the balloon and hold for a moment.
And then exhale as you feel your belly fall.
Continue for a few more breath cycles at your own pace.
Never feel like you need to force an inhale or an exhale.
If you notice thoughts arising,
Gently refocus back to your breath.
And now as we continue to deepen the breath,
We'll begin to match our inhale to our exhale.
On your next inhale,
Count to three.
And then exhale to a count of three.
Again inhaling for three and exhaling for three.
Continue for a few more breath cycles at your own pace.
You can increase the length or decrease the length of the inhale and exhale.
Just finding the rhythm of your breath that works best for you.
The breath is always with us and always brings us to the present moment.
Now see if you can find that natural pause between the inhale and the exhale as you continue to breathe.
Again never feel like you need to force an exhale or an inhale.
If thoughts arise,
Your attention drifts.
Simply bring your awareness back to your breath.
We'll meditate for a little while longer.
I'll keep track of the time and you'll hear the bell when our time has come to an end.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Slowly bring your awareness back into the room and back into your body.
Begin to take some deeper breaths as you begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes.
It's always important to come out of meditation slowly.
So take your time.
There's no rush.
And when you feel ready,
Slowly begin to flutter your eyes open.
Thank you so much for meditating with SoulSparks.
Until next time,
Keep shining.
