This is a breathing mindfulness practice.
The purpose of this exercise is to simply notice,
Accept,
And be aware of your breath.
It's not necessarily about relaxation or stress reduction,
Although you may feel less stressed after you complete the exercise.
But our goal here is just to observe our breath.
Not to change it in any way,
But just to notice what we can notice about it.
And breathing is something we all do.
If you're breathing,
Then there's more right with you than there is wrong with you.
Your body knows how to do this,
So we don't have to think about it.
We're just trying to see if we can change our awareness of our breathing to breathe mindfully.
We'll first start by sitting quietly in a chair or just somewhere comfortably.
Just sit as comfortably as you can and try to alleviate any unnecessary tension.
Some people find it easier to lay down so they can become more aware of how their belly and chest move as they breathe.
Just allow yourself to feel centered in your seat.
Bringing all of your attention to the physical act of breathing.
Just start to notice the breath as it enters your body through your nose and travels to your lungs.
Notice with curiosity whether the inward and outward breaths are cool or warm.
Try to notice precisely where your breath travels as it enters your body through your nose.
And as it leaves your body.
And again,
We're not trying to do anything with our breathing.
We're not changing it.
We're just noticing it and being aware of it.
And it doesn't matter if your breathing is slow or fast or deep or shallow.
And just allowing your body to do what it does naturally.
You'll start to notice that each time you breathe in,
Your diaphragm or stomach will expand.
And each time you breathe out,
Your diaphragm or stomach will relax.
Again,
We're not trying to make those body parts move.
We're just being aware of the physical sensations of breathing in and breathing out.
If you find that thoughts intrude,
That's okay.
Don't worry.
You just notice those thoughts.
Allow them to be there.
And then bring your attention from your thoughts back to your breath.
See if you can become aware of all the tiny sensations associated with breathing.
For example,
Seeing if you can notice the sensation of air hitting the back of your throat as you breathe in.
And trying to follow it down all the way in through your lungs.
Down to your diaphragm as your belly expands.
And then back out again.
And again,
You might find yourself become distracted by sounds or thoughts or other physical sensations.
And this is normal and not a problem at all.
You just make a mental note of where your mind has wandered to.
And then just escort it back to your breath.
Whenever you feel ready to end this breathing mindfulness session,
End this breathing mindfulness exercise,
Just decide to move your attention from your breathing and expand it to your body just sitting here as a whole,
Breathing.
And just allow yourself to gently awaken back to the room.
And whenever you feel comfortable,
You can open your eyes and try to bring the same awareness to your activities throughout the remainder of your day.
