This meditation allows you to become familiar with and practice sober breathing.
Sober breathing is a mindfulness-based exercise that is helpful in managing stress,
Life challenges,
Trauma triggers,
And addictive urges.
It can also be used as a mindfulness practice to center and ground yourself.
Sober is an acronym that stands for Stop,
Observe,
Breathe,
Expand,
And Respond.
Let's walk through this practice as a tool for managing difficulty.
If you are currently feeling or experiencing a difficulty,
Notice this.
If you are not currently feeling or experiencing a difficulty,
Think back to a time when you were feeling or experiencing a difficulty.
This may have been a significantly stressful episode.
This may have been an exceptionally challenging life event.
This may have been a time when your underlying trauma wound was activated.
Or this might have been a recent addictive urge.
Take time to let yourself connect with and feel this difficulty.
Stop When you are experiencing a difficulty or wish to become more grounded or centered,
The first step is to stop or slow down.
Take yourself out of autopilot and bring your awareness to just this moment.
If you have not done so already,
Close your eyes or soft gaze at the floor.
Observe Staying in this moment,
Observe what is happening for you right now.
What thoughts are coming and going in your awareness?
What physical sensations are you experiencing?
Is there tension or discomfort?
What emotions do you notice and where do you experience them in your body?
Just notice as much as you can about your experience right now.
Breathe Gather all your attention and focus on your breathing.
Take slow deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Notice the pace of your breathing.
Notice the sensations in your chest as you breathe in and out.
Notice how the air feels as you breathe in and out.
Notice the sound of your breath.
Bring your full attention to your breath.
Expand Expand your awareness.
Become aware of sensations in your entire body.
See if you can follow your breath as it ebbs and flows into your entire body.
Notice if tension or resistance remains or softens as you breathe.
Hold your entire body in this softer,
More spacious awareness.
Expand your awareness to your thoughts and the difficulty you are exploring.
In this space of expanded awareness,
Are you thinking about this difficulty differently?
Is there more to the difficulty than you previously noticed?
Is there a part of this difficulty for you to take responsibility for?
Are there options available that you were not previously aware of?
If this difficulty involves another person,
What do you know about this person?
Is this difficulty a common pattern with them or is this an anomaly?
If this has been a pattern,
Are they actively working to be accountable,
Take responsibility,
And change the pattern?
What is the reality of this person?
If this difficulty involves an addictive urge,
What brought this on?
What emotional or situational red flags have you experienced?
Who is available to support you at this time?
What sobriety tools do you find effective?
What is your sobriety plan?
Respond.
From this more centered space with your expanded awareness,
Consider what is truly needed and how you can best take care of yourself.
Choose how you wish to respond mindfully.
Take three deep breaths and when you're ready,
Consider how to best implement your mindful response.
