Today we’re going to practice mindful breathing. The breath is the foundational practice of mindfulness, as it is the one experience we can have that is pretty similar in the present moment. Breath can be a little shallow or a little deeper, but the breath is always here for us. Thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, sounds, they come and they go like clouds in the sky. But the breath is always right here, right now.
Remember: To live mindfully, the breath is the key. Breathe in, breathe out release the stress and let it all out.
To live mindfully, the breath is the key. Breathe in, breathe out release the stress and let it all out.
As we being the practice of mindful breathing, focus awareness on the breath. And if you get distracted, just gently, without any judgement, come right back into the breath.
Repeat to yourself, “I’ve got my feet on the floor, I’ve got my spine in a line, I’ve got my hands in my lap, I’ve got my heart to the sky.” Gently letting your eyes close, so you can pay a little more attention. Focus on one thing at a time—and that one thing today is the breath.
Try This Mindful Breathing Practice
As we come into the practice today, just notice your full body sitting, notice if your stillness is there, gently bring awareness to the breath over and over again in the next few minutes, training the mind to be here now. Nowhere to go, nothing to do just allowing ourselves to arrive at each moment with the breath
A Six-Minute Breathing Practice
- Notice the breath in its natural state, notice the inhale, notice the pause, notice the exhale, just tracking the breath like it’s brand new.
- Noticing the inhale, pause and the exhale.
- And repeating, just noticing the new inhale, pause and the exhale, just gently training the mind to be here now with the breath.
- Inevitably the mind will wander into thoughts, that’s normal, that’s totally ok, we notice those thoughts as quickly as possible and when we notice it, that’s mindfulness. Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment without judgement. Here we’re cultivating awareness through the breath.
- Sounds, physical sensations, emotions, they’ll pop up. You’ll notice them, make a little note, and come back to the breath again Each time we train, we get a little better. So just focusing on the breath, breathing in, breathing out.
- Noticing the belly maybe, the rise on the inhale, pause, and then the full exhale. Noticing where it begins, where it goes in the middle, where it ends, then do it again.
- If you get distracted no problem, we’ll just try again, coming back to the breath
- Maybe notice the breath in the chest, expanding, breathing in it expands, breathing out it contracts.
- Or simply the nose, the cool air on the inhale and the warmer air on the exhale, take another 20 seconds of mindful breathing allow yourself to be here now.
- I’ll ring the bell here again, and see if you can hear the sound a little clearer and little longer than the first time.
- Wiggling toes or fingers, rolling your shoulders back, feeling your body wake up a little bit and then fluttering your eyes whenever you’re ready.
- Opening those eyes and just noticing around you, inside of you, what’s new
- Congratulate yourself, because you invested in your well-being, you trained your mind, your heart, and your body.
This practice has been adapted from the Mindful Life Project. View the original post.
