The Three Part Breathing Space

The 3 part Breathing space is a short mindfulness practice to help you pause, reset and reconnect with the present moment in just a few minutes.

Step 1: Acknowledge - Pause and notice what is happening right now.
Step2: Gather: Bring your full attention to the breath or sounds or sensations in your body.
Step 3: Expand: Widen your awareness to include the whole body.

This practice is commonly used to reduce stress, interrupt autopilot thinking, and create a moment of calm and clarity during busy or emotionally difficult moments

Transcript

The three-step breathing space. So taking a moment to get comfortable. Whether you're sitting, Standing or lying down. If you want to close your eyes, You can do that now. Or just lower your gaze. Then in the first step, We're just noticing what's here now. Noticing the body in the space. What sensations are there? Is your body feeling calm or a bit agitated? Can you feel sensations anywhere in the body? Perhaps you can feel contact with whatever you're sitting or standing on. Perhaps you can be aware of the inner weather of thoughts, Feelings or emotions. Maybe you're feeling fairly calm and peaceful. Or maybe it's more like a stormy sky. Maybe it's busy. Whatever's here. Allowing it to be how it is. Then in step two, We're gently going to invite our focus to the breath. Bringing the focus gently to the breath. If the breath isn't good for you. Choose a different focal point. Such as the sounds or sensations elsewhere in the body. Noticing how the air is just naturally flowing in and out of the body. Moment by moment. Maybe you can feel the air flowing in and out in the nostrils or the mouth. Flowing down the windpipe. And the back of the throat. And into the lungs. And then being released again. Perhaps you can notice the expansion and contraction of the ribcage as you breathe. Chest. The sides of the chest. The upper back. Can you feel sensations there? The ribs go all the way around the back of the body. Maybe you can feel the breath moving. And the body moving in response to the breath further down. Around the stomach. Around the sides of the torso. And the lower back. Bringing an attitude of gentle curiosity to our experience in the moment. And if the mind goes off into trains of thought, That's okay. As soon as we notice, That's an opportunity for mindfulness, For choice. Just to come back to our focus on the breath. And then in step 3. Just gently releasing that focus on the breath. And expanding our awareness to the whole body. Noticing the air on our skin, The hands or the face. The temperature in the room. The body resting on the seat. Or just gently standing. The shape of the body. The way the limbs are arranged. Maybe we can hear sounds. Notice the light in the room. Or wherever we are. And then just gently bringing the practice to a close. Opening our eyes. Moving the body if that's helpful. Having a shake. Orion. Or a sip of a drink. Just noticing any shift that's taken place in our general sense of how we are.