Make sure that you’re not disturbed for the next 5 to 10 minutes.
Sit down on a cushion, on a meditation bench or a chair.
Notice the contact of your body with what you’re sitting on. Your sit-bones touching the cushion or whatever you’re sitting on. Your feet are touching the ground. Feel how the ground carries you, supports you, without you needing to do anything for it. It’s always there!
Now imagine that there is a root growing down into the earth from your coccyx, deep to the center from where there comes energy up to you and flowing into your spine up to the top of your head. At the same time there is an energy coming from the sky going into your head, pulling it up, so your spine is completely erect and it’s easy for you to sit straight. The two energies meet in your heart. Your whole body is aligned around these two energies that nourish it and carry you.
Start focusing your attention on your breathing. It can be the movement of your belly or the feeling of the air coming in and out from your nose. Choose one of these places and stay with it during the whole meditation. Just notice your breathing. No need to make it stronger or slower, just perceive the in and out of your breath, without judgement, letting it be as it is.
This is it. Just be with your breathing. Seems simple. But, you will become aware real fast, that your mind is taking you to all kind of other things! The mind naturally is moving from one thing to the other, it doesn’t like to be confined to one thing. You will stray and this is totally normal. Just come back to your breath – in – and – out. Don’t make it an effort! Just be with it. Yes, it does take an effort to bring the attention back again and again. But the simple fact to be there with your breath is in itself just being here and now. With whatever is happening. Allow your thoughts to come and to go. Like clouds in the sky – you are the sky and your thoughts are the clouds that form and dissolve or go somewhere else.
You may feel your body starting to itch, to hurt, to be uncomfortable. This is also totally normal. Mind wants you to do something, anything. Scratching will be great, moving is fantastic. So it will create distractions. Notice, and if need, realign with the earth and the sky supporting your body in sitting there. And come back to the breath. That doesn’t exclude that you notice the rain falling outside, your neighbour coming home with his children or whatever is happening around you. Just come back with your attention to your breath.
Do this practice at least 5 minutes, twice or 3 times a day. You can do up to an hour, or longer if you wish. Then I would suggest doing some conscious walking afterwards to help your body’s circulation!
Let me know on FB how it is going, what you like or dislike or if you have any questions!