3-step breathing space.
A short practice to pause,
Gather and re-enter.
Arriving.
Let's begin by pausing.
If possible,
Stop what you're doing.
Sit or adjust your posture slightly,
Signaling to your body that you're taking a brief breathing space.
Allowing the spine to be upright but not rigid.
Feet resting on the ground,
Hands supported.
Feeling the weight of the body against the chair.
Noticing the contact between the soles of your feet and the floor.
If it feels comfortable,
Close your eyes or lowering your gaze.
Taking a moment to sense the body as a whole,
Sitting here.
Step 1.
Becoming aware.
Now starting by bringing your attention to your present moment experience.
What is here right now?
Noticing thoughts as thoughts.
Perhaps words,
Images,
Fragments of planning or remembering.
There is no need to analyze or follow them in this moment.
Simply acknowledging what is arising is enough.
Then gently turn towards feeling.
What emotions are present,
If any?
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Neutral,
Strong or faint.
Or perhaps a sense of numbness.
Noticing bodily sensations.
Temperature,
Tension,
Areas of ease.
The general shape and posture of the body.
There is nothing that needs changing right now.
This step is about recognizing what is already here.
Step 2.
Gathering.
Now gently narrow your attention to your breath.
Not controlling the breath,
Simply noticing it.
Where do you feel it most clearly?
The nostrils,
Chest,
Abdomen?
Allow the breath to anchor you.
Following one full in-breath and one full out-breath.
If it's helpful,
Place a hand gently on the chest or abdomen to follow this movement.
When the mind wanders,
As minds always do,
Acknowledge where it went and gently return to your next breath.
This breath.
Another opportunity to start fresh.
Step 3.
Expanding.
Now widen the field of awareness.
Let the breath remain in the background while you include the whole body again.
Sense the body sitting here.
Feet on the floor,
Weight on the chair,
Head balanced on the spine.
If there's tension,
See if the breath can accompany it.
No need to force relaxation,
But making space around it.
Allowing awareness to extend beyond the body.
Noticing sounds,
Space,
The room around you.
Resting for a moment in this wider awareness.
And now,
As this breathing space comes to an end,
Gently asking yourself,
What is needed right now?
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Carry this steadier awareness into the next moments of your day.
