Sometimes we find ourselves in heated environments having strong conversations or big emotions or high stress spaces and one of the most powerful things that we can do is to stop.
We stop,
We take a breath,
We observe how we're feeling and then we proceed with kindness.
S-T-O-P.
This simple exercise gives us the space to take a breath,
To pause before responding.
It gives us the space to calm the amygdala and access our prefrontal cortex,
That thinking part of our body,
Our brain that allows us to make informed and smart and grounding decisions.
When our amygdala is on fire we can't access this part of our brain and the way that we can calm the amygdala is by breathing.
So the next 10 minutes just take the opportunity to breathe.
You can begin by breathing in through your nose as though you're inhaling a flower and exhaling through your mouth as though you're blowing a bubble.
Take three of these grounding breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Now begin to just breathe simply observing each breath without trying to change it.
Just noticing the sensation of the rise and the fall with each inhale and exhale.
You may want to put your hand on your belly so that you can truly experience that sensation.
With each inhale your belly expands,
With each exhale your belly deflates.
Just noticing what is happening and gently bringing your attention to your breath.
Try to notice it,
The position of your body,
The weight of your where you're sitting,
The texture of your feet on the ground,
Any sensations that may come arise from this moment.
Just let yourself settle into this space.
Noticing any spaces of tension,
Of bracing and as best as you can just softening that space and then bringing your awareness back to your breath.
Feeling the natural flow of your breath in and out.
You don't need to change anything.
Just noticing that with each breath is a form of meditation.
It's a moment of mindfulness.
For each breath is unique and different from the last.
It's the connection to the present moment,
To this space right here and right now.
Notice the sensations of your breath.
Where do you feel the breath most pleasantly in your body?
Perhaps it's your nostrils,
Perhaps it's the back of your throat,
Perhaps it's the rise and the fall of your shoulders,
Or maybe even it's in the abdomen.
Wherever it is,
Just noticing that sensation.
See if you can feel the sensations of that breath.
One breath at a time.
Perhaps you can feel the shift from the inhale to the exhale,
Bringing all of your attention to that pause in between.
You may find that your mind begins to wander and that is okay.
Our mind loves to wander.
Simply note where it is gone.
Perhaps it's a thought or a feeling in the body,
A sensation of discomfort or perhaps comfort.
Then just note where your attention is gone.
Then gently bring yourself back to the breath.
A space where you can always come back to.
A space of presence,
Of compassion,
Of awareness.
When you notice that your mind begins to wander,
That in itself is a moment of mindfulness.
We notice where our mind has gone.
It may be helpful to just label it as thinking,
Wandering,
Planning,
Sadness,
Happiness.
Whatever it may be,
Just label the thought and gently invite yourself back to your breath,
Allowing those thoughts to float by like clouds in the sky.
Just noting them and coming back to the inhale and the exhale.
You may find that there are sensations in your body that take your attention away from the breath.
Perhaps sensations of discomfort,
Perhaps sensations of tingling.
Just notice the edges of those sensations and bring your awareness to the space.
If you can,
Notice any bracing,
Any thoughts that may be connected to that space,
That sensation in the part of your body.
If you can,
Or as best as you can,
Take a deep breath and bring your awareness to that part of your body.
See if you can soften the space through the breath.
In mindfulness we're not pushing away,
We're not pretending that things don't exist,
We're simply noticing.
In that space we're softening,
That with each breath we explore with a curious mind and then let go,
Bringing our attention back to the breath.
Now bringing your awareness to the body,
Shifting it away from the breath,
To any sensations that may arise as you explore the entire body.
Inviting yourself to soften,
Let go of any holding,
Of any tension.
Then offering yourself a moment of appreciation for taking this time,
For taking the time to stop,
To practice the taking of breaths,
The observing of your body and the sensations within it.
And then of course proceeding with kindness and compassion to yourself.
When you're ready you can open your eyes if your eyes have been closed.
You can begin to wiggle your fingers or wiggle your toes and gently invite yourself back into the space that you're sitting.
Perhaps stretching,
Moving your arms out and above your body,
Twisting your abdomen and your back around just to bring your body back into this space and doing so with compassion to self.
