One of the challenges in the stress reduction program and in our effort to reduce our stress is to have tools that we can use briefly anytime,
Anywhere.
And that's where the breathing space is helpful.
You may recall from class that I use the image of an hourglass to help remember the three parts to the breathing space.
And while it's generally a three minute length of time,
It can really be one minute,
It can be as short or as long as you have available at the moment.
So the first thing we do in this practice,
Because it's brief and we want to come into the moment quickly,
Is to take a very definite posture.
And that posture basically reflects physical commitment to really focusing your attention on the breathing space practice.
So you might be sitting and relaxed,
But you're dignified,
Your back is erect but not stiff.
And you're letting your bodies express a sense of being present,
Alert,
Awake.
And now closing your eyes,
If that's comfortable.
The first step is being aware,
Really super aware of what's going on with you right now.
So becoming aware means noticing thoughts in your mind,
Your emotion state.
And then without getting hung up in the content of these thoughts,
Just noticing it as a mental event and letting it just be.
And noticing the feelings around that thought and letting those just be,
Not trying to push them away.
And in fact,
If there's discomfort or unpleasant feelings coming up,
Turning toward them,
Facing them but not doing anything in particular with them,
Just noting them.
Rather than trying to push them away or suppress them,
You're just acknowledging them,
Saying something like,
Ah,
There you are,
That's how it is right now.
And the same thing goes with sensations in the body.
So there might be sensations of tension or holding.
And again,
Awareness of them,
Just simply noting them.
Okay,
That's how it is right now.
It doesn't mean it will be like that forever.
It's just how it is right now.
So now we've got a sense of what's going on right now.
And we've definitely stepped out of the automatic pilot mode.
The next step is to collect our awareness by focusing on a single object.
So that's like the middle part of the hourglass.
And in this case,
We're looking at focusing on the movements of the breath.
So we gather ourselves focusing attention down in the belly breath,
The rise and fall of the belly,
Spending a minute or so to focus on the movement of the inhale and the exhale and its effect on the belly as it expands with the inhale and contracts with the exhale.
So now you're truly feeling the breath,
Knowing the breath as it moves in and knowing as the breath moves out.
You're truly binding your awareness to this pattern of movement.
And the breath is your anchor.
If your mind wanders back to a troubling thought or sensation,
Coming back to the breath is the way to let go of those thoughts or those feelings.
Using the breath to remain in the present moment,
Moment to moment to moment,
Staying right here,
Right now.
And now as a third step,
Having gathered yourself to some extent,
Allow your awareness to expand.
So as well as being aware of the breath,
We're also including now a sense of the body as a whole.
So that creates a more spacious awareness and a sense of the body as a whole breathing.
And pay special attention to any tightness or sensations that might be in the shoulders or the neck,
The throat,
Your lower back,
Your face,
And following the breath as if your whole body is breathing,
Holding it all in this slightly softer,
More spacious awareness.
Your whole body draws the breath in and releases the breath on the exhale.
And then when you're feeling ready,
Just allowing your eyes to open and knowing that this practice is available to you at any time that you might need a pause to gain a little more centered,
Calm clarity before acting or reacting,
Helping you to respond more mindfully to a situation that may be troubling or stressful.
