3-Step Breathing Space

The 3-step breathing space is a short mindfulness meditation that involves focusing on the breath to re-centre oneself and promote awareness. It consists of three steps: noticing what's happening in the body and mind, gathering attention to the breath, and expanding awareness to the entire body.

This exercise is especially useful during moments of distress or overwhelm, as it helps slow down and bring attention to the present moment.

Transcript

Welcome to the three-step breathing space.

This is a five-minute meditation.

So our intention for this practice is coming back and turning towards our present moment experience.

We pay attention to experiences being felt in the body,

Awareness of thoughts and emotion,

And practice gathering onto the breath or the feet on the floor as an anchor.

And we enter this practice with an attitude of curiosity,

Openness and non-judging.

Step one,

Awareness.

So just taking a moment and dropping in to the present and perhaps asking what is my experience now?

What is my weather pattern?

What thoughts are going through the mind?

And practicing not getting caught up in the thoughts,

Just labeling them perhaps,

Thinking,

Planning,

Remembering.

What emotions are here?

And sensing into body sensations.

Perhaps quickly scanning the body to pick up on any sensations of tightness,

Embracing,

Perhaps warmth.

And now coming to step two,

Gathering.

So really gathering the attention on the physical sensations of the breath itself.

I'm just noticing where the breath is showing up.

Perhaps in the nostrils.

Maybe the rise and fall of the abdomen.

And practicing following the breath all the way in and all the way out.

And step three,

Expanding.

Expanding the field of awareness around the breathing or feet on the floor,

Of the body as a whole.

Perhaps the posture or maybe the facial expressions.

And if there are sensations of resistance,

Discomfort,

As best we can gently turning towards and breathing into them.

And as best we can bring this expanded awareness to the next moments of the day.

The breathing space is now complete.