3 minute breathing space In step one of the breathing space Becoming aware of the present moment in its fullness By adopting an erect dignified posture Either if you are sitting or standing Allow your eyes to close if that's possible or appropriate at this moment Otherwise keeping them open In either case,
Resting on awareness of your inner experience,
Opening to it And asking what is my experience right now What thoughts are going through my mind As best you can,
Noting thoughts as mental events Perhaps even aware of their content and words What feelings are here?
Turning towards and opening to any sense of emotional discomfort or unpleasant feelings What body sensations are here now?
Perhaps if it's useful,
Scanning the body to pick up any sensation of tightness or bracing In step two,
Gathering and redirecting your attention on the physical sensations of the breath right now Just breathing itself Moving to the sense of the breath in the belly Feeling the sensations of the belly in the abdominal wall as it expands with each in-breath and falls in each out-breath With full awareness,
Following the breath all the way in and all the way out Using the breath to anchor you in the present moment In step three,
Expanding the field of awareness around your breathing so that in addition to the sensation of the breath It includes a sense of the whole body as a whole Your posture,
Your facial expression,
How they feel from the inside If you feel any sensation of discomfort or tension or resistance,
Experimenting with breathing into them on the in-breath And breathing out from them on the out-breath Perhaps releasing and softening on each out-breath If you care to,
Perhaps saying to yourself,
Whatever it is,
It's already here,
Let me feel it And now,
As best you can,
Bringing this expansive and accepting awareness to the next moments of your day Whatever circumstances you find yourself in as it continues to unfold
