Mindful Breathing

Ok, so we can all breathe, we do it without thinking, but how can we train ourselves to pay attention to it? Commit just a few minutes a day, or even a week, to practice mindful breathing and you will feel the benefits of a calmer mind.

🧘Get Comfortable – Find a position, sitting or lying, where your back is straight and relax into your body, noticing any areas that are holding on to tension. Where you feel that tension, tense that area and then release it and notice it feel lighter. Feel your feet on the ground, or your back on the bed so that you become aware of yourself and not your surroundings.

🧘Breathe – Take a deep breath in through your nose, hold it for a couple of seconds, then exhale through your mouth. You may find it easier to count to, say, 4 for each action.

🧘Focus – Notice your breath as it flows in and out naturally. Focus your attention on where you feel your breath, is it your throat, your nostrils, your chest? Pay attention to where one breath ends and a new one begins.

🧘Your Mind – It is natural for your mind to wander, when it does, acknowledge your distraction and let it pass as you return to focus. The more you return to focus on your breathing, the easier it will become to maintain presence in it.

Mindful breathing is beneficial at times of stress or anxiety to refocus the mind back to the present and a useful tool you can do anywhere.