Welcome.
This is a short meditation and we will be practicing mindful breathing meditation.
In this practice,
We will bring our awareness to the present moment,
Noticing and enjoying every in-breath and out-breath.
The mind is often cluttered with many thoughts,
Usually about the future or the past.
This could create tension,
Anxiety,
Agitation,
Especially when we are in stressful or difficult situations.
By bringing awareness to the flow of the breath,
We are bringing ourselves to the present moment,
To be fully present instead of being pulled in different directions by the many thoughts in our head.
Through the practice of mindful breathing,
We are able to calm the mind and bring ourselves to a state of clarity and relaxation.
Let's get ready for this short and simple practice.
Find a comfortable sitting position.
You can choose to sit on the chair,
On the floor.
You may even choose to lie down on your back,
As long as you feel comfortable with no tension in the body.
Your eyes can gently close.
For the next few moments,
Just be aware of the presence of yourself in your surroundings in this present moment.
Slow down the breath.
Notice that when you inhale,
The flow of air through the nostrils has a cool temperature.
When you exhale slowly through the nostrils,
The flow of air is actually warm.
Keep enjoying and noticing this flow of air,
Inhalation and coolness in the nostrils.
Exhalation,
Warmth in the nostrils.
Whenever you are inhaling,
Be very aware and mindful that at this moment you are breathing in.
And when you are exhaling,
Seeing awareness that you are right now exhaling out.
Just keep this mindfulness of your breath in and out.
There is no need to control how long your exhale or inhale.
Just allow it to flow as naturally as possible.
A cool in-breath and a warm out-breath.
Exhalation.
Now if thoughts of the future or the past come,
Just acknowledge them and let them pass.
Let these thoughts,
If they do come,
Be like clouds in the sky.
They come and they go.
This is a natural process of the mind.
You don't have to struggle or fight with it.
Just gently guide yourself back to observing the breath.
You are inhaling and you are exhaling.
That's all that's happening in the present moment.
Simply enjoy the present moment with each breath.
Follow in the steps.
Bring your awareness to the rhythm of the breath.
This is the calm and rhythmic wave of the inhale and exhale.
It's just like the waves if you were to look at the ocean.
They will rise and they will fall.
Enjoy the rise of the in-breath.
Enjoy the fall of the out-breath.
Notice all the sensations in the body,
The very subtle but natural movements when you inhale.
And also notice all the sensations and the small movements in the body that comes naturally when you exhale.
As you start to inhale again deeply,
Notice the sensations in the nostrils,
The tip of your nose,
Around the nose.
And slowly exhale,
Feeling the warmth,
The flow of air through the nostrils,
Tuning in to all the subtle sensations that comes with this inhalation and exhalation.
Bring your awareness to the posture that you have right now.
Your eyes are still closed but become aware of your body,
How it is sitting,
Which part of the body is resting either on your chair,
On the ground,
On a cushion or whichever surface you are resting on.
Take a moment to visualize yourself sitting,
Breathing,
Enjoying this mindful practice in this space.
Begin to deepen your breaths and gently bring the palms together,
Rubbing them to create some warmth and heat.
We gently cup the palms over our eyes and for a few moments enjoy the gentle pressure and warmth of the palms against your eyes.
With a few gentle blinks we open our eyes and slowly release the hands.
The mindful breathing practice is complete.
Enjoy this state of peace and calm for the rest of the day.
