3-Minute Breathing Space Check-In Meditation

The 3-minute Breathing Space Check-in Meditation is a foundational practice of Mindfulness-based courses and is a convenient practice to use to check in with yourself throughout the day. The practice follows three simple (but not that easy!) steps to first become aware, then to invite an attitude of curiosity to your experience, and then to expand your awareness to the present moment with openness and kindness.

Transcript

Three-minute breathing space meditation and just take a few moments to check in and be present in this moment and our breath is an anchor for the present moment.

So sitting comfortably so that your posture embodies the intention to be awake and closing your eyes if that feels right for you.

Bring your attention to the breath.

Focus on the sensations of breathing from the abdomen.

The gentle rise and fall that happens all by itself.

Not trying to have the breath do anything special or control it in any way.

Just noticing all the details of the whole of the in-breath and the whole of the out-breath as best you can.

You may even notice a little pause between the inhale and the exhale.

And if your mind wanders,

Simply noticing that it has and gently escorting your focus and attention back to your breath.

Now turn your awareness to what's going on within the body.

What feelings are here?

Are you aware of any sensations that are present?

Not trying to change anything but just opening up to what is already here.

Expanding your focus of awareness around the breath to take in the whole body as if the whole body were breathing now.

Become aware of your posture,

Your facial expression,

Sensations on the surface of the skin.

Just holding in awareness all of the sensations in your body right now just as they are.

Just being in the moment just as it is.

And by taking these few minutes you can cultivate your awareness of yourself and switch from doing mode to being mode.

With practice you can lengthen the amount of time that you can spend just being in this moment.