Find a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down,
And gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Notice the contact that your body is making with the ground beneath,
However you sense that in your body,
And allow your body to rest into that support.
Now bring your attention to your breath.
Air coming in and air going out.
See if you can notice the different sensations as the air moves in and out of your body.
There is no need to change the rate or depth of your breath for this practice,
Just allow your breath to be as it is.
Start with your nostrils,
Noticing how it feels as the air comes in and out.
Allowing the movement of the air to be just as it is at this moment.
Now slightly open your mouth if it is not already open,
And again notice the different sensations that arise as the air moves through your mouth.
And any time that your attention drifts off into your thoughts,
As it naturally will,
Keep gently bringing it back to your breath.
Now spend a few moments noticing how it feels to have the air coming in and out of your throat.
Now notice how the breath feels in the chest.
The rise and fall of the chest as the air moves in and out.
Spend a few moments noticing the changes in this part of the body as the breaths come and go.
Again notice your mind wandering repeatedly.
Acknowledge the distraction and allow my voice to guide your attention back to the breath.
Now bring your attention to any sensations of movement in the abdomen as you breathe in and out.
You could place one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen to help you to sense the slight rise and fall that may be present.
Spend a few moments sensing the breath in this way.
If it feels right you may now sense into any subtle changes in the rest of the whole body as you breathe in and out.
You might like to imagine your whole body breathing.
An expansion on the inhale.
And a softening on the exhale.
And for a few more moments let your attention settle on any part of the breath sensation in your body.
Whichever part feels most comfortable for you.
And notice the air going in and going out.
Notice when your mind wanders and gently bring it back to the breath again and again.
And whenever you are ready bring your attention back to the room around you and open your eyes.
End of exercise.
