Settle into a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down.
Begin to draw your attention to your breath.
Notice your inhale.
Notice your exhale.
Bring your attention to the space right under your nose and above your lip and feel the breath there as you inhale and exhale.
Notice how the temperature of your breath is cool on your inhale and warmer on your exhale.
Notice the rise of your chest,
Your diaphragm and your belly as you inhale and the release of your belly,
Diaphragm and chest as you exhale.
Allow the attention on your breath to calm your body and your mind.
Feel the breath in your feet,
In your legs,
In your belly,
In your fingers,
In your chest and back,
In your neck and your shoulders.
Use the attention on your breath to let go of things to be done and those left undone.
Release your role of doer,
List maker,
Task accomplisher and right here,
Right now,
Simply become an observer of your breath and your mind.
Anytime you find your thoughts intruding,
Simply notice and say thinking and without judgment and with a smile,
Return your attention to your breath.
Meditation is not sitting with your mind completely clear of thoughts.
Meditation is paying attention on purpose.
Meditation is noticing when you are no longer paying attention to what you want to pay attention to,
In this case,
Your breath.
So whether you return your thoughts to your breath once or a hundred times,
You are successfully meditating.
Release expectations of how this should look or feel.
Simply be in this experience.
If your experience is that you are struggling to focus on your breath today,
Then that is your experience.
It is not good or bad,
It simply is.
Notice the gentle ebb and flow of your breath giving full care and attention to each breath.
If any strong or stressful feelings or thoughts creep in,
Use your breath to send them away,
Following the path of your breath rather than your thoughts.
You can visualize those thoughts like waves cresting and crashing ashore,
Just short of your toes as you stand in the sand.
Watch those thoughts retreat back to the ocean and once again find your breath.
Taking this time to quiet your mind will make you more focused later on the things that need your attention.
Taking this time in breath and silence will allow you to attend to your tasks with more calm and clarity.
As you sit in stillness and breath,
You might notice sensations arise in your body,
Maintaining attention on your breath.
See if you can expand your awareness to include your body as a whole.
Feeling your body from head to toe,
Noticing the sensations that arise.
Love your breath and the sense of your body as a whole.
As you did with any thoughts that arise,
Allow your breath to ease any sensations in your body.
Notice anytime you become distracted by sensations in your body and gently,
Without judgment,
Return your attention to your breath.
Just be here,
Now,
Moment to moment,
Fully present,
Fully aware.
Use your breath as an anchor to the present moment.
Take a full deep breath into your chest,
Diaphragm,
And belly,
And release your belly,
Diaphragm,
And chest.
Bring your awareness back to your surroundings.
Use your breath to bring alertness to your mind.
Notice how you feel at the close of your practice.
Notice how you feel in your body and in your mind.
Calm relaxed,
Focused.
Know that you can find this state anytime throughout your day by simply noticing your breath and allowing your breath to calm your body and your mind.
