This session is a guided breathing meditation based on a poem by Donna Martin called The Breath is Life's Teacher.
This may be a different experience for you to be meditating to the verses from a poem,
But I want you to truly listen to the words of this poem as I recite it and use every single word as a reminder to focus and express gratitude to your breath.
Start by settling into a comfortable position,
Seated or lying down,
And allow your eyes to close or lower your gaze,
Whatever you feel comfortable with.
Begin by taking several long,
Slow,
Deep breaths,
Breathing in fully and breathing out fully.
Inhale and exhale.
Inhale and exhale.
As you listen to the words of this poem,
Continue to focus on your breath.
And during each moment of silence,
Focus on either the feeling of your breath at your nostrils or the rising and falling of your abdomen,
Or simply the inhale and the exhale.
And if any thoughts,
Emotions,
Or feelings arise,
Just watch them.
Don't get angry.
Don't get upset.
Don't push them away.
You are trying your best.
Just gently bring your focus back to your one and only breath.
The Breath is Life's Teacher by Donna Martin.
Observe me,
Says the breath,
And learn to live effortlessly in the present moment.
Feel me,
Says the breath,
And feel the ebb and flow of life.
Allow me,
Says the breath,
And I'll sustain and nourish you,
Filling you with energy and cleansing you of tension and fatigue.
Move with me,
Says the breath,
And I'll invite your soul to dance.
Make sounds with me,
And I shall teach your soul to sing.
Follow me,
Says the breath,
And I'll lead you out to the farthest reaches of the universe and inward to the deepest parts of your inner world.
Release says the breath,
That I am as valuable to you,
Coming or going,
That every part of my cycle is as necessary as another.
That after I am released,
I return again and again.
That even after a long pause,
Moments when nothing seems to happen,
Eventually I am there.
Each time I come,
Says the breath,
I am a gift from life,
And yet you release me without regret,
Without suffering,
Without fear.
Notice how you take me in,
Invites the breath.
Is it with joy,
With gratitude?
Do you take me in fully,
Invite me into all the inner spaces of your home,
Or carefully into just inside the door?
What places in you am I not allowed to nourish?
And notice,
Says the breath,
How you release me.
Do you hold me prisoner in closed up places in the body?
Is my release resisted?
Do you let me go reluctantly or easily?
And are my waves of breath,
Of life,
As gentle as a quiet sea,
Softly smoothing sandy stretches of yourself?
Or anxious,
Urgent,
Choppy waves,
Or the crashing tumult of a stormy sea?
And can you feel me as the link between your inner and outer worlds?
Feel me as life's exchange between the universe and you.
The universe breeds me into you.
You send me back to the universe.
I am the flow of life between every single part and the whole.
Your attitude to me is your attitude to life.
Welcome me.
Embrace me fully.
Let me nourish you completely,
Then set me free.
Move with me,
Dance with me,
Sing with me,
Sigh with me,
Love me,
Trust me.
Don't try to control me.
I am the breath.
Life is the musician.
You are the flute.
And music,
Creativity,
Depends on all of us.
You are not the creator,
Nor the creation.
We are all a part of the process of creativity.
You life and me.
Sincerely,
The breath.
Continue inhaling and exhaling.
Inhaling and exhaling.
As we near the end of this session,
We will end off with an appreciation practice.
Infusing the breath energy with loving kindness and appreciation.
First for yourself for taking time out of your day to practice and develop your mind.
Then for others,
Sending loving kindness to living and nonliving beings for everything they do for us or have done for us to help us lead a peaceful life.
Continue to inhale and exhale.
Inhale and exhale.
Radiating feelings of goodwill in all directions.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes or raise your gaze and come back fully alert and awake.
And remember as you continue on with your day,
Your breath is your best friend.
