Breathing Practice To Slow Down & Focus

This is a simple breathing practice borrowed from Thich Nhat Hahn and the Plum Village tradition. This practice helps me to return to the present moment and focus by keeping my attention on my breathing.

Transcript

We'll just do a simple breathing practice, Starting by finding our mindful posture. So taking a seat in a place that feels comfortable where you're supported, Where your seat and your feet can rest comfortably, Where you can keep your spine upright, Where your belly can breathe, Moving freely, Relaxing your arms and shoulders, Bringing your hands to rest comfortably on your lap, Briefly scanning through your body for any spots where you notice tension, And on your exhalation, Just gently letting that go. And being sure to bring a quality of kindness and gentleness to your practice today. Remembering that we're not trying to achieve anything here. There's no judgment. There's no doing it wrong or right. There's only what's right for you. Using whatever instructions that I'm giving that serve you and feel right to you and putting anything else aside. Tuning in to your inner voice, Your inner wisdom, And beginning to notice your breath. On your next inhalation, Follow the sensation of your breath in through your nostrils. Just noticing where it goes. Bringing it to its natural end. And then doing the same with your exhalation. Noticing a brief pause in between your exhale and your next inhale and following your next breath in and out. And if you like, You can let your eyes gently close or soften your gaze. And we will just sit here for a few moments, Following each breath, Coming in through the nostrils, In the back of the throat, Into the chest, Perhaps down into the belly. Noticing the pause in between the inhale and the exhale. And naturally, Easily, Effortlessly, Letting it go whenever you're ready. 20 minutes. Form… If you begin to notice your attention wandering to thoughts, Sensations or emotions, Remind yourself that's absolutely normal. That's the activity of the mind, Doing what it does naturally. We are simply practicing bringing our attention back to one thing, To our breath. Occasionally, It might be helpful to repeat a phrase to yourself. Breathing in, I know I'm breathing in. Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out. Even though it may seem silly, Sometimes we can become so overwhelmed by the activity of the mind and sensations that we need to remind ourselves what's happening right now in reality. Breathing in, I know I'm breathing in. Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out. And when our attention gets pulled away to planning thoughts of the future, Maybe a little bit of judgment, When will this be over, This is boring, Thoughts like that, Just remember that what we're doing here is training our attention muscle. So then when we need it most, When our attention is being pulled in every direction, By news or by outside stimuli, We have the ability, We have a better capacity for choosing where we put our attention, Starting with breathing in, I know I'm breathing in. Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out. Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out. Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out. Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out. Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out. Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out. Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out.