Ten Minute Breathing Meditation

This is a wonderful exercise for calming the body and mind. You can do it sitting, standing, or lying down. It is a great aid for inducing sleep when the mind is awash with the days events.

Image © 2001 Wild Dolphin Project
All rights reserved. Used with permission.

If timing your meditation, use a gentle bell.

Begin.

Sit solidly in your chair, your back well supported. Uncross your legs. Place your feet flat on the ground, your hands loose in your lap or on your thighs.

Be comfortable. Let go. Let your shoulders drop. Take a long, slow deep breath.

Close your eyes and take four more deep breaths, long and slow, letting all the air from your lungs and filling them full with each breath. Very likely you will experience a long, shuddering sigh. Let it go.

Now, just naturally breathing, not guiding your breath in any way, feel the intake of air through your nostrils.

Concentrate on the cool air touching the tips of your nostrils as you breathe in.

Concentrate on the warmer air touching the tips of your nostrils as you breathe out.

Thoughts will come.

Gently acknowledge each thought and return your consciousness to the cool breath touching the tip of your nostrils, in.

Graciously let go of the thought as you breathe the warm air out, aware of it again just at the tip of your nostrils. It may help to imagine the thought and any accompanying images or sensations drifting away, like a bubble or a dandelion seed, quickly forgotten.

Breathe.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

You may notice little discomforts in your body.

You may notice big discomforts in your body.

Let these awarenesses come and go.

Return each moment to the breath in, the breath out.

In.

Out.

A solution to a problem in your life may float to the top. It is tempting to stop the meditation and begin noodling on the solution, or to get up and take action.

Like the thoughts and discomforts, acknowledge the idea and let it go. Trust that any useful information will be available to you later. This is always true. Some of your best problem-solving will occur in ten-minute meditations. Let the answers come and go, like every other thought. They will be waiting when you are ready.

Breathe ...

Cool air touching the nostrils--In.

Warm air brushing the nostrils--Out.

Cool air--In.

Warm air--Out.

When the bell rings, gently open your eyes. Stretch your arms and legs, your torso. Like a cat on waking, warm the muscles in a big long stretch, a wide-mouthed yawn, opening the eyes wide, the nostrils wide. Stretch your face. Exaggerate your yawn. Expand the body. Expand the lungs. Expand the arms.

Smile. It feels so good.

Smile.

Of course, if you use the meditation to fall asleep, wait till morning to do the stretches and yawns! This meditation is a great way to start the day, too, waking the mind and body gently.

With folded hands,
Namaste.