3-Step Breathing Space

The 3-step breathing space is used in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Cognitive Therapy (MBSR & MBCT) as a way to step out of autopilot and remind us that our awareness can be directed, and is spacious enough to hold thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations within it. This can be especially helpful when we're stuck in unproductive patterns of thinking and feeling or being carried away by ruminative thoughts about our pain, stress, and anxiety.

Transcript

This short practice is an opportunity to drop into the here and now,

And spend a few moments being rather than doing.

Whatever position you're in,

Standing,

Sitting,

Lying down,

Making sure that you're comfortable,

And dropping into the universe of sensations in your body,

Filling your body with awareness,

Noticing what's here right now,

Any tension,

Tightness,

Tingling,

Numbness,

Or no sensations at all,

Noticing any thoughts arising,

Falling away again if we allow them to,

And noticing any mood state or emotions that might be present,

Perhaps asking yourself,

How am I doing right now,

And noticing what comes up,

And gathering your awareness and focusing attention on the sensations of breathing,

Wherever they are most prominent for you.

Could be sensations in the nostrils and throat,

In the chest,

Or in the belly,

Not manipulating the breath or trying to control it,

Just sensing the breath entering and leaving the body,

Following the in-breath all the way in,

And then following the out-breath all the way out.

If the mind wanders,

You notice your attention is no longer on the breath,

Gently escorting it back to the sensations in the nostrils,

Chest,

Or the belly,

Now expanding your awareness to include the whole body,

The top of the head,

Down through the face and the neck,

The shoulders,

Awareness filling the arms right down to the hands and fingers,

Awareness moving down the torso,

Front,

Back and sides,

Down into the pelvic area,

The thighs,

Upper legs,

Knees,

Down through the calves and the shins,

Into the feet,

Awareness filling the entire body.

And as we come to the end of the practice,

Setting an intention to carry forward this awareness into the next part of your day or evening,

Perhaps asking yourself one final question,

What do I need right now?

What do I need in this moment?

Bringing some movement back,

Fingers and toes,

Opening your eyes if they've been closed,

Thank you for practicing with me.

Reviews

I welcomed this calming respite during a tough morning. 🕊️

Easy to follow your clear voice and I appreciate the silence in between 🙏

Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much.

Clear, concise, and powerful. Thank you. Namaste 🙏

A soothing awareness practice that's simple, yet so effective. The pacing was perfect. Thank you!

Absolutely lovely. Tuning in with such mindfulness caused me to realize, wow! - there's so much going on in there, quite a busy system at work humming in harmony... vibrating even in stillness.. The human body, such an amazing gift, 🎁 you as well! Thank you, Karim. 🙌🏼 ✨️

Thank you! This is a warm, uplifting, and easy to follow guided session.

Wonderful short pause.
Much needed and much appreciated.
Blessings🕊🌳

A gently guided effective way to being grounded, centered and balanced. Thank you for this meditation...🪷😌🪷