Also called Awareness of Breath, this meditation is a useful tool when you feel stressed or anxious. (12 minutes)
What follows is a mindfulness of breathing meditation. In this practice, we will gently pay attention to the breath as it moves into and out of the body for moment to moment. When the mind wanders away from the breath to thoughts, to sounds, or to anything else, we gently bring the attention back to the body breathing. This practice can help us to rest the mind, to let go of unnecessary or unhelpful thoughts, to nourish ourselves with the breath, and to reduce stress and improve well-being. It can be helpful to take a few minutes every day for this practice, as well as to connect mindfully with the breath throughout the day. So beginning the meditation by coming into a comfortable posture, sitting or lying down being as comfortable as possible as kind to your body as possible in this moment. You can close your eyes or keep them open and soft perhaps with a gentle, downcast gaze resting on the floor a few feet ahead of you.
Feeling contact with the floor beneath you If you're sitting, noticing sensations of sitting, the support of the seat against your body. Noticing sensations at the hands resting. Letting go of any unnecessary tensing in the body. Softening the face, the eyes, the forehead, the jaw. Letting the shoulders be at ease.
Softening the belly. Beginning to directly attention to the body breathing. Becoming aware of the movement of the breath. Feeling the breath as it comes into the body. and as it leaves the body, being aware of the breath flowing in and flowing out.
Not needing to manipulate the breath or change it in any way. Some breaths may be deep, some may be shallow, some short, some long, just allowing the breath to flow naturally. Being with the flow of breath moving in and out.
You might notice breath in the belly, sensing the belly rising and falling, expanding and contracting as you breathe in and out. If you like, you can place a hand on the belly to feel the hand moving with the belly breathing. The hand moves out or up on the inhale as the belly expands and moves down or back as the belly contracts on the exhale.
You may notice sensation of breath at the chest, the rising and falling here, You may notice the breath that the nostrils are mouth as the air passes into and out of the nostrils are mouth. Perhaps noticing a different temperature on the inhale and the exhale.
Allowing your attention to gently ride the waves of sensation of each breath, not thinking about breathing, but feeling it directly as best you can. Paying attention to each new breath never breathes before. Being with the full cycle of a breath from the beginning of the inhale to the fullest point, Natural pause between the inhale and exhale. The tiny moment of stillness before the breath turns and makes its journey out of the body. Being with the full exhale, to the space between the exhale and inhale, resting with this moment of stillness, letting your attention rest lightly on the feeling of the breath.
You may notice that from time to time, the mind will wander off to thoughts. Thoughts of the past, fantasies, memories, or it may move to anticipation of the future. Planning, wishing, judging, rehearsing conversations. Perhaps even wondering if you're doing this meditation right.
As soon as you become aware that the attention has wandered from the breath, gently bring it back to the breath without judging yourself or giving yourself a hard time. Aware of breathing in and breathing out. We'll practice silently for a little while.
Noticing when the mind wanders. Coming back to breathing in with the in breath, breathing out with the out breath.
Now, noticing where the attention is. If you're caught up in planning, worrying, fantasizing, Just making, judging, just noticing, letting be whatever has arisen, gently returning to being aware of sitting or lying here, riding the wave of the breath, aware of inhaling and exhaling.
Taking one or two more full deep breaths in and out at your own pace And as we close this meditation, taking a moment to thank yourself for your practice today. For taking the time to care for yourself in this way. Perhaps setting a gentle intention to bring this practice into the rest of your day in a way that is right for you. Letting your attention rest with the sound of the bell as it rings. you