Breathing Awareness Exercise To Become More Present

Your breath flows naturally in and out, even when you don't pay attention.
By becoming aware of your breath in different situations you'll first of all become more present straight away and if you get to know your breathing pattern, you can slowly start to shift it if needed. For example when you're in a stressful situation to calm the mind and help your body to heal itself. But it all starts with awareness.

Transcript

Find yourself a comfortable sitting position and allow yourself to arrive in the here and now. Let go of all the thoughts of the past, Everything that happened last year, Last week, Earlier today. You can all drop it. Just let it go. You don't need it right now. Same for the thoughts about the future, Everything that might happen, Whatever you need or want to do. Just let it go. Arrive in the present moment. You are here, Sitting, Getting ready for a breathing awareness practice. In this practice we will look at our natural flow of breath from different perspectives. So we can become really aware of how we are breathing in this moment. You can use this practice at any time, Even after the practice, Whatever you're doing, Doing the dishes, Maybe driving your car, Reading a book. You can remind yourself to become aware of how your breath is naturally flowing in and out. The breath will always flow even if you don't pay attention, You're always breathing of course. But practicing to be aware of your breath will bring you straight away into the present moment. And by becoming aware of your breath, You will also be able to change your breathing pattern. For example, If you're in a stressful situation, If you want to calm down your mind, By becoming aware of your breath first, You will be able to then change it to your liking. Now if your mind drifts off during this practice, That is completely normal and natural, Don't worry, Just notice it and then gently bring your awareness back to your breath. Your breath is your anchor. First of all, If you haven't already, You can close your eyes and just become aware of your posture at this moment. What is your posture like? Are you hunching over? Are you sitting straight? Are you tense or relaxed? Is your chest open? And how do your clothes fit? Are they tight or loose? Is a lot of your skin covered or a lot of your skin open, Touching the air? Now become aware of the air around you. What is the temperature of the air? Does it feel warm or cold? And how does the air feel on your skin? What is the texture of the air? And now follow the air as it enters your body. Are you breathing through your nose or through your mouth? And don't try to change anything, Just keep observing the flow of breath going in and out of your body. And how does it feel to just be and to be aware of your breathing? Which muscles are working to get air into your lungs? What parts of your body do you feel moving when you breathe in and out? And now you can place one hand on your heart and one hand on your stomach. You can slowly bring your head down, Your chin to your chest, And you can open your eyes gently. And just look at your hands while you are still aware of the flow of air. And what is the flow of your breath? Just calmly following your breathing. And what hand does expand first when you breathe in? Is it the hand on your belly or is it the hand on your chest? Without judging or analyzing, Just observe. And does your belly expand when you breathe in, Or does it go inwards towards your spine when you breathe in? Do your shoulders rise when you breathe in or not? And now you can gently close your eyes again while you are still aware of the flow of air. And you can bring your head back up and you can relax your hands. You can leave them there if you want on your body, Or you can just relax them on your knees or your thighs. And now observe. Do you feel tension in your body when you breathe? Maybe in your face, In your neck, In your shoulders? Is there any tension in your mind? Is your mind calm or restless? Simply observe. There's no right, There's no wrong. And again, If your mind wanders, That is completely fine. Just bring it gently back to your breathing. Keeping your attention on your natural breath. Can you feel your heartbeat when you breathe? Can you hear the flow of your breath or is your breath completely silent? And what comes first, Your inhalation or your exhalation? Are you breathing fast or slow? Is your breathing deep or shallow? Just observe. Is there a natural pause in between your breaths or do you feel like you are constantly gasping for air? And now become aware if your breath is regular or irregular. Becoming aware of possible changes in your breathing. And your exhalation, Is it controlled? Is it forced or relaxed? Focus on your exhalation. And now slowly you can let go of the focus of your breath. Of course, I would encourage you that if you like this exercise to just stay aware of your breath during the day. You can even make notes of what you have experienced. You could do this in different times, Maybe when you're in a relaxed state, When you're in a stressed state, Just to become aware of how your breath changes with the changes of your emotions and situations that you encounter in life. You could even set a reminder. Just every now and then to remind yourself to come back to your breath during the day. And of course, You can always come back to this exercise as well. Now let's take a deep conscious breath in and out. Bringing your hands in front of your heart together. Thanking yourself for taking this time for yourself to be present with your breath. To connect with yourself. And thank you so much for joining this practice today. I wish you a very good rest of the day. Bye-bye.