To begin this meditation,
Take a few moments just to center yourself,
Feel yourself in your body,
Examine your posture.
So just close your eyes,
Make sure that your hands and feet are in comfortable positions.
Your back should be straight but not rigid.
Shoulders relaxed but not slumped.
Eyes closed or your gaze just focused softly in front of you,
Not looking at anything in particular.
Take several deep breaths.
As you breathe in,
Imagine breathing into your belly so your belly rises and then your chest.
Inhale your lungs completely and as you breathe out,
Let your chest contract and then contract your belly.
Squeeze all the air out of your lungs.
Do this several times.
Then let your breath just settle into a comfortable rhythm.
You don't have to breathe any special way.
Just breathing comfortably,
Naturally.
As you breathe in,
Be aware that you're breathing in.
Your awareness resting on your out-breath as you breathe out.
Pick a spot where it's fairly comfortable to feel the breath,
The tip of your nostrils or the rise and fall of your belly.
Just rest your attention there.
Sounds that arise are just sounds.
Let them come and go.
Sounds that arise are just thoughts.
Allow them to come.
Allow them to go.
If you notice that you've been thinking for a period,
You've forgotten about the breath,
Just note thinking.
Let go of that and return to the breath.
Sensations may arise,
Perhaps a tension.
You may notice a discomfort that you didn't realize was there.
If there's a tightness,
You can bring your awareness to that.
Just imagine that you can breathe through it and allow it to relax.
If it won't release,
That's okay.
Just let it be there.
Just part of the experience of the present moment.
It's the same with other discomforts.
There's no need to stress about them.
An unpleasant sensation is just an unpleasant sensation.
Just let it be and continue to observe your breath.
When the bell rings to end the meditation,
Take a couple of deep breaths.
If you like,
You can rub your hands together to generate some warmth.
Smooth them over your face,
Eyes.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes and leave the meditation.
