Unity of Breath-a guided meditation

Breath is the essential ingredient binding all living things.

-Start with awareness of the breath.

-Breathe in. Breathe out. Become acquainted with the quality of the breath; breathing a short, breathing a long breath. Relax into the breath.

-Enlarge your field of awareness to include others sitting in this in room with you. Acknowledge that they too are following the breath, becoming the breath. Imagine that your breath moves in sync with their breaths, all of you becoming one with breath.

-Where is the self in all of this?

-Breath with breath. Becoming one with breath, until there is only breath.

-Imagine that in this very moment all of whom you know and love are breathing just as you breathe, sometimes a short breath, sometimes a long breath. Really make an effort to bring the essence of your loved ones to mind, knowing that they breathe as you breathe in this very moment.

-Imagine all of the people in this town, breathing as you breathe, sometimes a short breath, sometimes a long breath, the breath connecting all of us.

-Imagine all of the people in this country, breathing as you breathe, sometimes a short breath, sometimes a long breath, the breath connecting all of us—306 million people breathing together.

-Imagine all of the people on earth, breathing as you breathe, sometimes a short breath, sometimes a long breath, the breath connecting all of us—6,783, 557 people breathing together.

-Imagine that along with all of the people on this planet, there are countless creatures of earth, air and water, breathing together in this very moment, just as you breathe, breathing a short breath, breathing a long breath...fast...slow...hot...cold. It is the breath that connects all sentient beings,breathing in, breathing out.

-Where is the self in all of this?

-Imagine this planet, mother of life, the greatest teacher. Imagine that you are made of the same stuff—earth, air, fire and water. Imagine that as you breathe in, you are breathing in the earth and as you breathe out, the earth is breathing you out. The earth is breathing.

-Where is the self in all of this?

-Imagine all of the stars and planets and galaxies of this grand universe. The universe is expanding to a point when it will contract, bringing everything back to the beginning. Imagine that as the universe is expanding, it is breathing out and when it contracts, it is breathing in. The universe is breathing, just as you breathe in this very moment.

-Where is the self in all of this?

-Breathe in...breathe out...sometimes a short breath, sometimes a long breath...the breath of trillions rising and falling as one breath.

-Now bring awareness back to the breath of the body, the body that is self and no-self.

-The breath body.