The Breath Meditation

FULL TRANSCRIPT

[The following is the full transcript of this episode of “Dare to Awaken Podcast.”]

Welcome to the breath meditation. Let’s begin by finding a comfortable position for the body. And then if it feels right, allowing the eyes to close. And you begin to bring your attention inward inside and allow the events of the day to fade away as you cultivate a sense of presence. 

From here, take a nice deep inhale through the nose, filling the lungs up with breath. And then out the mouth, exhale. Let it all go. Good. Two more times. Deep Inhale. And exhale, letting go of any tension, any stress. One more time and hold deep. And then out the mouth, exhale, sigh it out. And then allowing the breath to find its own natural, gentle rhythm, moving in and out through the nose in its own timing, its own way. 

As the breath continues to breathe you instead of you breathing it, see if you can bring your attention to the breath encountering the region of your nose and your nostrils, noticing where you feel the contact the most. For some of us, we may feel it more on the upper lip. Others of us may feel it more on the outer rim of the nostril. Some of us may even feel it deep inside the nose cavities.

Where do you feel it right now in this moment? If and when the mind begins to drift away, allow the mind to return back to this rhythm of the breath so the breath becomes a little bit like an anchor for the mind, anchoring you back into this present moment so that you know when you’re breathing, and you know when you’re breathing out. You might even begin to notice the subtleties of the breath. Is the breath deep, fluid, smooth? Or perhaps maybe more shallow, choppy, erratic? 

And whatever you notice, not to judge it but to just simply observe it, almost like a scientist conducting a bit of an experiment. Sometimes the awareness becomes so refined, you might even notice the temperature of the breath, how the breath comes into the body, cool and then how it leaves the body more warm and humidified.

Good. And as you continue to allow this breath to move in its own natural way, now begin to shift your attention to the area of your chest, your lungs, and your heart. Begin to feel the breath making contact with your chest, feeling the natural rise and the natural fall of that breath. If it’s helpful, you might even place a hand or two over top your heart, feeling how your breath moves into your hand.

Just a gentle reminder that, again, if that mind begins to drift away, no worries. With compassion, with kindness, come back to the breath dancing with the area of your chest.

Beautiful. Now begin to shift your attention all the way down to the area of your belly. If it’s helpful, you may place a hand here as well. And then noticing how the breath moves all the way down into the lower torso as you breathe and the navel moves away from the spine and as you breathe out, how the navel gently draws back into the spine, feeling that natural expansion and that natural contraction of the breath.

Continuing to know when you’re breathing in and when you’re breathing out, see how present you can allow the mind to be.

Now for the last couple of minutes of this meditation, bring your attention to where you feel the breath the most, whether that’s the nose, chest, or the belly. You choose.

Good. And now allow that attachment and connection of the breath, allow that connection to go, taking a few moments now to shift from doing into being, into allowing. From here, take a deep and health through the nose again. And then out the mouth, exhale. Let it all go. As you’re ready, slowly opening up the eyes. 

Thank you for your practice.

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