No one's too busy to stop and pause for a minute during the day.
This one minute breathing exercise can be done almost anywhere,
Perhaps while sitting at your desk or waiting for a bus.
It's a great thing to do before an important meeting,
Conversation or presentation.
I'll guide you through counting your breaths over one minute.
You needn't slow your breathing or speed it up.
Everyone is different and there's no specific number to aim for.
At the end of one minute,
I'll ask you how many breaths you counted.
When you have your number of breaths,
You can add this to your mindfulness practice by regularly stopping and taking that number of breaths.
Then you'll know you've paused for a minute.
So let's try it now.
Sit upright,
Spine erect but not rigid,
Feet flat on the floor,
Hands on your knees or your lap.
You can close your eyes if you like or just lower your gaze.
Bring all your attention to your breath.
Breathe normally in through your nose and out through your nose.
And when I say start,
Begin counting your breaths.
In and out is considered one breath.
Don't worry,
I'll let you know when time is up.
Okay,
Start now.
.
Okay,
You can stop counting your breaths now.
Write down the number of breaths you took just in case you forget.
While it may sound too simple to be effective,
Regularly pausing during your day to focus on your breath for a minute here and there,
Frees up your busy mind and significantly eases stress.
It's a reminder to connect with your body,
Be more present during the day and allows you to take a step back and see things from a different perspective.
And that's where your freedom is.
