Rapid 3 Step Breathing Space

A quicker version of my three-step breathing space exercise. Use this when you are short on time and need a quick tool to help rebalance before or after a stressful activity. Be sure to listen to my explainer to understand how to make the most of these 3 Step Breathing Space exercises!

Transcript

Welcome to the rapid three-step breathing space for a quick reset. Start with step one, Gather your thoughts, Become aware of your current experience. Do this by asking yourself a few questions. What are the thoughts I've been having recently? What are the stressors running through my mind? What are the emotions associated with those thoughts? And where can I feel those emotions in my body? Just jump through each thought real quickly, Tagging each one with the emotion, Noticing where you feel that in your body. Once you feel like you've become aware of your present experience through your thoughts, Feelings, Emotions, Imagine placing all that into a basket and setting it aside. Then move into step two, Which is to focus on the breath. Focus on awareness of your breath at the abdomen, The diaphragm, Using the breath at the abdomen, The diaphragm as an anchor, Keeping you here in the present moment. Know that new thoughts will come, And when they do, Just gently notice them and bring your attention back to the breath, Back to the anchor. Noticing the subtle changes of physical sensation as you breathe in and as you breathe out. Being aware of the sensations of the breath, Move into step three, Which is to expand the breath. Begin breathing in two different parts of your body. Each time you take a breath, Move to another part of the body. Take a breath down the left leg, All the way down into the left foot and toes, And down into the right leg, Into the right foot and toes, And breathe down both legs simultaneously. Take a breath around the pelvic area, The lower abdomen. Take a few breaths throughout the torso, The upper, Middle, Lower torso. At your next breath, Breathe down the left arm, All the way to the left fingertips, And breathe down the right arm, Into the right fingertips, And breathe down both arms simultaneously. Take a few breaths up into the head, Noticing the areas of tension or tightness. Maybe breathe into those areas throughout your face. Then start to breathe with the whole body, Both arms, Both legs, The head, Face, Torso. Imagine the whole body breathing together as one, Acknowledging the shifting in your experience after doing this exercise, Concluding the three-step breathing. For the future, You might try the longer version of this, Or my more advanced mindfulness training to help make these short sessions even more effective.