Welcome Zen friend . I hope , wherever you are , you are doing well . On this episode of A Drop of Zen , a short guided meditation , I will be talking you through a breathing meditation , and you can do this with your eyes open as well as closed . I still wouldn't do this driving , because it would still mean that your attention was distracted from the road , but you could do this at a red light , on your own time , or really anywhere . With such a busy time of year , you probably are finding extra to-dos on your list and it is most likely harder for you to take time to close your eyes and have lengthy meditations . So this is a reminder that you can connect with your breath anytime and there are lots of benefits to doing that . So let's get started by first just noticing your breath . Notice the quality of it . Is it deep , is it shallow ? You can also start paying attention to what it feels like to be in your body here in this present moment . What do you notice ? Are you feeling stressed ? Are you feeling tense ? Are you feeling relaxed and calm ? Just notice whatever you notice . Then we'll begin to guide the breath by taking a nice deep breath in through the nose , bring all the air down deep into your belly , pause and then exhale slowly and completely , either through your nose or your mouth , whatever feels best to you . We'll do that again . Nice , deep , full breath in , fill the belly with air , pause , exhale , release it One more time , just like that . Nice , deep , full breath in , pause and exhale . And on the next breath you can do the same thing Nice , deep , slow breath in pause , and then , as you exhale , make that exhale longer than the inhale . Just make it as slow and as long as you can .
Speaker 1When you're ready , another nice deep breath in , pause , at the top of the breath , exhale slowly and completely , making that breath as long as possible . We'll do a few more breaths just like that , at your own pace . A nice , deep , full breath in pause , long , slow , complete breath out until there's no more breath to push out . And as you continue with this breath , see if you can quiet your thoughts and really just bring your attention to the breath , noticing the quality of air on the in breath , the quality of air on the out breath Is it warmer or cooler on the in , on the inhale or the exhale . Two more times , a nice , deep , full breath in , feel that nourishing air enter into your body , pause , exhale slowly , let it go as slowly as you can . Make that breath as long as you can .
Speaker 1One more time , a nice , deep , full breath in pause , and make this next exhale as long and slow as possible . After that exhale is complete , just check in and notice what it feels like to be here in your body in this present moment . Is it different ? Do you feel a little lighter , a little calmer , a little less stressed ? I sure hope so . I'm so glad you took some time for yourself today . Until next time , friend , I hope you'll continue to take some time today and every day to do something kind for yourself .