Instruction: Mindfulness of Breathing
- Sit in a comfortable but alert posture, and gently close your eyes.
- Take a couple of deep breaths, and as you exhale, settle into your body, relaxing any obvious tension or holding.
- Breathing normally, bring your awareness to your body. There is no particular way to be; just notice how you are at this moment.
- Then, from within the body, become aware of your breathing, however it happens to appear. There is no right or wrong way to breathe while doing mindfulness practice; the key is to simply notice how it actually is right now. Let the breath breathe itself, allowing it to be received in awareness.
- Notice where in your body you feel the breath most clearly. This may be the abdomen rising and falling, the chest expanding and contracting, or the tactile sensations of the air passing through the nostrils or over the upper lip. Wherever the breath appears most clearly, allow that area to be the home, the center of your attention, your anchor.
- Keep your attention connected with the inhalations and exhalations, sensing the physical sensations of breathing.
- Let go of the surface concerns of the mind. Whenever the mind wanders away, gently come back to the breath. There is no need to judge the wandering mind; when you notice that the mind has wandered, simply return to the breath without evaluation.
- To help maintain contact between awareness and the breath, you may use a label or mental note. Softly, like a whisper in the mind, label the in-breath and out-breath, encouraging the awareness to stay present with the breath. You can label the breath as “in” and “out,” or perhaps “rising” and “falling” for the movement of the abdomen or the chest. Don’t worry about finding the right word, just use something that will help you stay connected.
- To strengthen your ability to become mindful and present, use the gentle power of repeatedly, non judgmentally returning and resting with the breath.
