Using a mindfulness meditation script can be helpful for both beginner and experienced meditation practitioners.
Why? Because scripts can help to easily guide meditators back to the present moment after getting captured by thought. Scripts are also a useful tool when meditators feel like they need a little additional support during their practice.
Although there are many different forms of meditation, the scripts in this article focus on meditations in the mindfulness tradition. Mindfulness, also known as insight meditation, is a loving, non-judgemental awareness that observes the rise and fall of present experience.
In this article, you will find five guided mindfulness meditation scripts that you can use to help strengthen your practice.
Please be sure to also read through the “General Tips for Guided Meditations” section so that you can prepare a safe environment for your meditations.
What will you find in this article?
General Tips for Guided Meditations
Mindfulness Meditation Script Focused on the Breath
Mindfulness Meditation Script Focused on the Body
Mindfulness Meditation Script Focused on the Sound
Mindfulness Meditation Script Using Open Awareness
Mindfulness Meditation Script for Working with Pain
General Tips for Guided Meditations
Mindfulness meditation requires the meditator to become intimately focused on their internal environment. With this attention, unpleasant thoughts, feelings, sensations, or memories may arise.
Therefore, it is important to be aware of a few guidelines below that create a safe space to practice.
And if you are looking to dig deeper into the principles and practices around mindfulness meditation, this list of books for beginners are a good place to start.
1. Intention
When beginning a meditation practice it may be helpful to set an intention to help support your practice. Intentions help to create a supportive internal environment and act as the “why” for meditators when they face challenges in practice.
Examples of intentions could be: to have a loving and kind attention, to be with whatever arises, or to be gentle with yourself.
2. Posture
Depending on the meditator’s body, different postures may be more supportive than others. The most important thing is to select a posture that is both comfortable and supports wakefulness.
Often it is suggested to sit upright with a straight, but relaxed, spine and a slightly dropped chin, like you are holding an orange under it. But again, no one posture is better than another as long as the posture supports you to stay awake and aware during the meditation.
3. Environment
Selecting a quiet, distraction-free space that you can come back to over and over again is especially helpful for beginning meditators or those that are struggling to maintain a regular practice.
This space can act as a container to help support your regular practice. Feel free to experiment with different places before you find a spot that is most supportive for you. You may also place items in your chosen space that remind you of your intention.
3. Anchors
An anchor is something in your awareness that you select to ground your attention during a meditation. This anchor could be the breath coming and going, body sensations, sounds, and even thoughts.
It is important to choose an anchor that is generally pleasant for you to focus on. Some guided meditations suggest a particular anchor, if this anchor causes you to become overwhelmed, often called “activated”, or is very unpleasant to focus on then it is skillful to use an alternative anchor that is more supportive for you.
For example, the breath can sometimes be too activating for trauma survivors, people with respiratory issues, or those with anxiety. In this case, it is skillful for the meditator to focus on a different anchor, regardless of the guided instruction, like sensations in the hands or sounds rising and falling.
6. Eyes Opened or Closed
For any meditation, regardless of what the guided instructors suggest, it is important to select an eye position that is most comfortable for you. For some people having their eyes fully closed helps them to focus their attention inward. While for other people, having eyes half open with a soft, lowered gaze is more supportive.
7. Activation Level
A meditator’s levels of activation refer to how overwhelmed or uncomfortable they become during meditation practice. Sitting quietly during meditation can cause unpleasant emotions, sensations, thoughts, or memories to arise.
If your level of activation becomes high, it may be skillful to shift your focus away from the meditation. Examples of shifting focus away from the meditation could be opening your eyes, moving your body, or paying attention to a different more pleasant anchor.
Mindfulness Meditation Script Focused on the Breath
About this Meditation Script:
The breath is a common anchor, or point of focus, used in mindfulness meditation because it is a consistent part of the human experience. Our breath is always rising and falling no matter what changes in our other sensory inputs.
Breath meditations can be used to help focus the mind and help meditators open to a kind, spacious awareness. The breath is not a great anchor for everyone, especially if it is tight, difficult to stay with, or tied to trauma. In these cases, it is skillful to use another anchor like body sensations or sound. (See the below scripts for meditations using these anchors)
Meditation Duration:
10 to 20 minutes, depending on the length of pauses between phrases
Mindful of Breath Script:
Find a position where you can be both relaxed and alert. Your eyes can be closed or half open with a soft downward focus – whatever is most comfortable for you.
Maybe noting anywhere in the body where you feel noticeable tension and just bringing the intention to relax or allow more space.
In this meditation, we will be using the breath as the focus of our attention. If at any time it becomes uncomfortable or overwhelming to use the breath, know that it is okay to use another anchor like sensations in the hands or feet, or sounds coming and going. No one anchor is better than another.
Now, begin to notice the rise and fall of your natural breath where you can sense it the most easily.
This might be the rise and fall of the belly or chest. It may be the air coming in through the nose or mouth. It may be the tops of the arms moving slightly as the breath rises and falls.
Just resting your gentle attention wherever you find the breath most easily.
If it is hard to sense the breath, it may be helpful to place a hand on your belly and feel the rise and fall of your hand.
Now feeling three breath cycles.
And the next three.
If you notice your attention wandering from the breath, that is okay. Just gently lead your attention back to the natural rise and fall of the breath.
It may be helpful to whisper in the mind of rising and falling or inhale and exhale – as the breath comes and goes. Or softly counting each breath cycle from 1 to 10 then 10 to 1.
And whenever the mind wanders, as it naturally does, just with a kind attention bringing awareness back to the rise and fall of the breath.
This breath, just now.
Maybe noting the pauses between breaths. Feeling the sensations rise and fall with the breath.
And just one more minute feeling the breath come and go with a gentle and calm attention.
{ring bell or signal the end of the meditation}
Mindfulness Meditation Script Focused on the Body
About this Meditation Script:
This mindfulness script uses body sensations as the main point of focus. Mindfulness of the body is the first foundation of mindfulness because only through the body can we be truly awake and aware of our present experience.
Although embodiment is an important part of mindfulness, it can also be challenging to fully connect with the body. This difficulty is because human beings often dissociate from the body when experiences become too intense, overwhelming, or confusing.
This meditation script may help you to reconnect to your moment-by-moment experience in the body. Holding a gentle and tender attention is helpful when working with the body. It is always okay, and even skillful at times, to use an alternate anchor or pay attention to pleasant sensations if your experience becomes overwhelming.
Meditation Duration:
10 to 20 minutes, depending on the length of pauses between phrases
Mindful of Body Script:
In this meditation, we will be using sensations in the body as the focus of our attention. If at any time it becomes uncomfortable or overwhelming to use sensations, know that it is okay to use another anchor like sounds coming and going or whatever else is pleasant for you. No one anchor is better than another.
Now finding a position where you can be both relaxed and alert. Your eyes can be closed or half open with a soft downward focus – whatever is most comfortable for you.
Maybe taking a few deep breaths, filling your lungs completely then letting all the air out of your mouth.
Then settling into the natural rise and fall of the breath.
Starting with a gentle body scan. Feeling sensations from inside out. Maybe feeling temperature like heat or cool, tingling or vibration, the weight of your body against the chair or cushion.
If it helps, maybe gently mentally noting the sensation like “heat heat” or “tingling tingling.”
Now moving at your own speed – going from the top of the head all the way down to your toes. If any areas have particularly strong sensations maybe rest your kind attention there for a bit longer, allowing more space, before moving down the body.
Or maybe it is hard to feel sensation, and that is okay too. Just feeling what is present here and now.
Once you’ve scanned the whole body feel everything rise and fall like a cloud of sensations.
It may help to ask yourself: “what is happening inside me right now?” Feeling whatever sensations are present. Then asking, “Can I be with this?”
If your mind has drifted away carried by thought, just bring your kind and gentle attention back to the rise and fall of sensations in the body.
Maybe, if it is pleasant, focus attention on the sensations in your hands and feet. Once your attention is steady, open back up to the rise and fall of everything like a cloud of sensations.
Just two more minutes, feeling sensations come and go with a kind attention.
{ring bell or signal the end of the meditation}
Mindfulness Meditation Script Focused on the Sound
About this Meditation Script:
This script uses sound as the main point of focus, or anchor, for the meditator. Mindfulness meditations that use sound as an anchor may be helpful for those who find the breath difficult or unpleasant, or people who hold a lot of pain in the body. Sound is generally a neutral or pleasant anchor to work with.
Meditation Duration:
10 to 20 minutes, depending on the length of pauses between phrases
Mindful of Sound Script:
In this meditation, we will be using sound as the focus of our attention. If at any time it becomes uncomfortable or overwhelming to use sound, know that it is okay to use another anchor like the breath coming and going or sensations in the hands and feet. No one anchor is better than another.
Now find a position where you can be both relaxed and alert. Your eyes can be closed or half open with a soft downward focus – whatever is most comfortable for you.
Taking a few breaths to come into the body. Just settling in with a relaxed and gentle attention.
Then all at once become aware of the rise and fall of sound all around. It may be the soft hum of the air conditioner or birds outside the window.
Maybe paying attention to the quality of the sound. Sharp, soft, buzzing, fuzzy.
Maybe noticing how you can’t choose what to hear or what not to hear. Sound simply rises and falls within this spacious awareness.
If you find yourself lost in thought, watch the thought unfold on its own. Becoming aware of how thoughts come and go without your control, just as sounds do. Then return back to the rise and fall of sound.
And noticing the next sound with a kind attention.
Remaining spacious and open to the rise and fall of sounds all around.
As you get lost in thought, watch the thought unfold and return back to sounds coming and going.
For two more minutes, be the open space that sounds and thoughts rise and fall within.
{ring bell or signal the end of the meditation}
Mindfulness Meditation Script Using Open Awareness
About this Meditation Script:
Anchors, like sounds, the breath, or body sensations, are used in meditation to help stabilize attention in the present moment. But mindfulness meditations that use open awareness are great to practice when your attention already feels relatively stable.
Open awareness is the simple practice of watching whatever rises and falls in awareness. This can include sounds, sensations, sights, smells, thoughts, feelings, or anything else that arises.
Meditation Duration:
10 to 20 minutes, depending on the length of pauses between phrases
Open Awareness Script:
Find a position where you can be both relaxed and alert. Your eyes can be closed or half open with a soft downward focus – whatever is most comfortable for you.
Take a few deep breaths, filling up the lungs completely and letting all the air out of your mouth.
As you return to your natural breath, for three breath cycles just watching the breath come and go wherever you notice the sensations most prominently.
Maybe becoming aware of anywhere in the body that has noticeable tension and inviting relaxation and space.
And sensing how you are feeling right now – and what in the body tells you how you are feeling. For example, maybe you feel restless and you know because your legs feel jittery. Or you feel sad and you know because it feels like you are wearing a heavy jacket.
Now with a kind and loving attention, notice the rise and fall of everything in awareness. This can include sounds, sensations, sights, smells, thoughts, feelings, or anything else that arises.
Noticing that everything is rising and falling all on its own.
Maybe becoming aware that you cannot choose what comes and goes. Or what to pay attention to next.
If you get lost in thought, just allow the thought to unfold on its own. Paying attention to it as if it were any other sound or sensation. Then returning back to the rise and fall of whatever comes next.
Maybe if you feel your attention becoming scattered, notice the next three breath cycles. The return back to the rise and fall of all things in the spacious awareness that you are.
For two minutes, come back to the rise and fall of the breath or sensations in the hands or feet.
{ring bell or signal the end of the meditation}
Mindfulness Meditation Script for Working with Pain
About this Meditation Script:
The natural human response to pain is resistance but resistance to pain causes suffering. A meditation that includes mindfulness and self-compassion can help people to open up to pain, create a more spacious way of holding pain, de-identify from the pain itself, and reduce suffering.
Meditation Duration:
10 to 20 minutes, depending on the length of pauses between phrases
Mindful of Pain Script:
Find a position where you can be both relaxed and alert. Maybe picking a position that is optimal for comfort and ease. Your eyes can be closed or half open with a soft downward focus – whatever is most comfortable for you.
With a kind, curious, and gentle awareness, scan the body for any sensations that stand out. Maybe softly noting the feeling tone of the sensation – pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant.
Gently whispering “pleasant pleasant” or “unpleasant unpleasant.”
Now, if it feels safe, settle the attention on a sensation that has an unpleasant feeling tone.
How is this sensation changing? Is it growing more or less intense? Consolidating or expanding? Become hard, soft, heavy, light?
If the sensations are intense, maybe approach them slowly and gently. Maybe offering words of compassion like Thich Nhat Hahn’s words “darling I care about this suffering” or “this too” or “you belong.”
If the sensations become too overwhelming, maybe shift the attention to sensations in the body that are neutral or pleasant or picture an image of a loved one helping to hold the unpleasant sensations with you. Return back to any of these resources anytime you need to if the sensations become too intense or overwhelming to sit with.
Feeling into the unpleasant sensations, notice how you are relating to the sensations. Is there a receptive presence? Is there resistance? Is there interest and kindness? Is there reactivity?
There is no right or wrong way to be with the unpleasant sensations. Simply notice whatever is here now with a gentle and kind attention.
Now for the final two minutes become aware of the natural rise and fall of the breath. Noticing the whole body breathing.
{ring bell or signal the end of the meditation}
