Focus Meditation

Focus Meditation (5 minutes)

This is a meditation to help you re-focus. This meditation will work best if you can find a relatively quiet place to sit where you won’t be disrupted. Your seating posture can be whatever helps you feel supported and comfortable. Make sure that you are in a position that allows you to take deep breaths without any restriction as this is primarily a breath focus mediation.

Put on some headphones and listen to the guided meditation below…

Guided Focus Meditation

Transcript

We're going to do a 5 minute guided focus meditation.  For this meditation you can be in any position that allows you to take deep breaths. Take a few moments to get comfortable.  

(5 second pause)

Let's get started.

I want you to pay attention to how you are feeling right now.  I don't want you to judge or try to change the way you are feeling.  Just notice your current state of mind as it is.  I'll be quiet for just a few moments while you look inward.

(15 seconds of silence)

OK, let's continue.

We're going to give ourselves permission to just be present for a few moments and not focus on the way we feel, but instead focus on just our breath.

I want you to take 2 clearing breaths with me.

(long breath in)
(long breath out)

(long breath in)
(long breath out)

Good.

Now, we're going to be doing some highly focused breathing.  This time we are going to be holding our breaths for a few seconds after we fully inhale and exhale.  We're going to inhale for about 6 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 6 seconds and hold our breath out for 4 seconds.  If you have any difficulty, just breathe naturally and try to pay close attention to the feeling of breathing in and out.

We're going to do 4 rounds of breathing, I'll count out loud for the first 2 rounds, to help you focus on the timing, and then we'll do the last 2 rounds without the count.

Let's begin.

Breathe in... 5...4...3...2...1...
Hold 3...2...1...
Breathe out...  5...4...3...2...1...
Hold 3...2...1...
Breathe in... 5...4...3...2...1...
Hold 3...2...1...
Breathe out...  5...4...3...2...1...
Hold 3...2...1...
Breathe in... (silent count from 5)
Hold (silent count from 3)
Breathe out... (silent count from 5)
Hold (silent count from 3)
Breathe in... (silent count from 5)
Hold (silent count from 3)
Breathe out... (silent count from 5)
Hold (silent count from 3)

Well done.

Now, this is very important part of the exercise...

I'm going to ask you to pay attention to how you are feeling again.  I don't want you to judge or try to change the way you are feeling.  Just notice your current state of mind once again.  I will be silent again for a few moments.

(15 seconds of silence)

Wonderful, You are done with this exercise.