12-minute meditation: Diaphragmatic breathing

This is diaphragmatic breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing assists in entering the deeper stages of meditation. It can be done lying down on your back on a hard though comfortable surface such as a carpeted floor. Put a small cushion under the back of your head. Lie in such a way that your head, neck, and spine are straight. Place your arms at a comfortable distance to your sides and have the feet a comfortable distance apart. This practice may be also done sitting in a tall dignified position with the spine straight, the palms flat on the thighs, and the feet flat on the floor. We will begin with the sound of a bell. Now take a moment to feel your breath as it enters and leaves your body. Simply notice the breath as a gentle observer, a detached witness. There is no need to control the breath in any way. There is no right or wrong way to experience your breath. Gently make an effort to melt any tension around your eyes or the space between the eyebrows and around your jaw. With each breath, mentally smooth any tension in your face, hands, or any other areas of discomfort that you may be experiencing in your body. Take a moment and notice where your thoughts are. Perhaps you're thinking about your to-do list for the rest of the day. Perhaps you're even having thoughts that are judging this experience. Maybe you're impelled to rehash or analyze an argument that you're having with someone. Whatever it is, just be the gentle observer, the witness of these thoughts. Watch them as they pass by. Notice their impermanence, like clouds in front of the sun. Notice how the mind may become desperately aggressive, seeking attention right now, determined to dig into the things that are coming up. Let go of any resistance or judgment that you're experiencing about your thoughts. Acknowledge the thoughts and let them just come and go and come and go. Turn your attention more intently on your breath cycle. Notice where in your body you feel the sensations of the breath. Do you feel the flow of air over your upper lip or across the tip of your nose? Spend a moment with focused curiosity about the in and out breath. See if you can sustain focus on an entire breath cycle. Notice the slight pause as the breath rounds the corner from the inhalation to the exhalation. You may be feeling a little restless or perhaps sleepy. You may have a feeling that this is uncomfortable or you may feel impatient. That's okay. Whatever is coming up, whatever you're feeling is fine. Just observe the feelings without grabbing onto them. Observe them as if you were stepping back from them a little bit. Release them and let them go and bring your attention back to the breath cycle, knowing that you are training your mind to learn a new skill, to be mindful, to be present. Embrace this time to just be, not to do or act in any way. Now we turn our attention to the diaphragm, concentrating on the upper abdomen, right below the breastbone but above the navel. There's a soft space there about the size of the palm of your hand. As you exhale, gently but deliberately, draw the upper abdomen back toward the spine. And as you inhale, just release it and let it go, rather effortlessly. Again, the exhalation is more deliberate and you gently draw the upper abdomen back toward the spine. The inhalation is more spontaneous and passive. You just let go. For a few moments, keep all of your attention on gently massaging the breath, slowing it down, so the exhalations are ultimately a little longer than the inhalations. See if you can maintain relaxation in your chest, face, and lower belly. If you become distracted from diaphragmatic breathing, just mentally acknowledge the distraction and patiently, compassionately, guide your attention back to this mindful breath. Exhaling and drawing the upper belly back toward the spine. Inhaling, just releasing and letting go. See if you can slow down the breath. Stretch out the exhalations. Make the breath seamless, eliminating any jerkiness and pausing. One breath like liquid, melting into the next. Gently try to make the breath silent. As we go into a few moments of silence, keep your attention on the breath and if the mind becomes distracted, patiently, of a bell. Reflect on the relative quietness of your own mind at this moment. Although there are thoughts, there are some spaces between them. Notice how smooth and even the breath has become. Then gently open the eyes.