Mindfulness Meditation Lesson 2
Mindfulness of Breath Meditation
For our first formal meditation we're going to do ten-minute mindfulness of the breath meditation. In the Mindfulness of Breath Meditation, we focus our attention on our breath by following the physical sensations of our breathing in our abdomen, as it expands and contracts on each breath in and each breath out.
As best you can, keep your attention focused on your breath and the sensations around your abdomen. If you find your mind wandering a lot, you can use one of the "following your breath" exercises from last week like counting or measuring your breath to help you maintain your attention on the breath.
Throughout the meditation there are periods of guided instruction followed by periods of silence to allow you to practice the instructions without the intrusion of my voice in your ear. Following one of these periods of silence a bell will sound, indicating the end of the meditation
Attitude for Mindfulness Practices
While doing this, or any of the mindfulness practices we'll learn during this course:
- Don’t think in terms of success and failure
- Paying attention to your experience non-judgmentally
- Not trying to achieve anything in particular
- Simply paying attention to whatever, and however, your experience is in the present moment
Mindfulness of Breath Meditation
Before starting this mindfulness of breath meditation:
- Take a few moments to find a comfortable sitting posture
- Make sure you won't be disturbed or distracted for the next 10 minutes
When you are ready, start the “Mindfulness of Breath Meditation” audio file below:
Once you've completed the meditation, fill out the Mindfulness of Breath Meditation worksheet on the next page.
Purchase the Course
Please purchase the course to download audio files and access Lessons 5-10.