The steps of the Breathing Space I am guiding you through are 1. Gathering/ grounding in the present moment 2. Exploring what is here 3. Opening up to engage with the world again
In the Taking a break – Taking a breath guided meditation I am offering a longer (14 min) version of this process.
Intention – Changing gear. Coming back and turning towards our present moment experience (thoughts, emotions, sensations)
Attention – On the experiences being felt in the body, awareness of thoughts and emotions.
Practising gathering onto the breath or the feet on the floor as an anchor and then expanding into the whole of the body.
Attitude – Curiosity, Openness, Acceptance, Kindness, Non-judging.
MBSR 3-Step Breathing Space
As you chose this short meditation, you already had the most important mindful moment: you realised that you need a break and acted on this realization.
Take a moment to congratulate yourself on that!
And now, let’s begin with the guided breathing space meditation.
Step 1. GATHERING – Grounding ourselves in the present moment
If you haven’t done so yet, I’d like to invite you to change the place and the position.
If you have been sitting – stand up.
Maybe, go outside or to a different room.
…
If possible, closing the eyes or softening your gaze.
Bringing attention into the body.
To the feet on the floor – the connection with the ground.
Feeling the clothes on the skin, the temperature of the air.
…
Guiding the attention to focus on the area where the breath can be felt most vividly.
Maybe in the nostrils
or moving in close to the sense of the breath in the belly or chest
feeling the sensations of expansion as the breath comes in
and falling back as the breath goes out again.
Practising following the breath all the way in and all the way out.
Breathing in …
Breathing out …
…
With the next breath, we move to
Step 2 – INVESTIGATION of what is here
As the breath flows naturally, dropping into the present moment.
Becoming aware of how things are right now.
With gentle curiosity scanning through the body.
What is there to recognize? What is the weather like inside the body?
● What BODY SENSATIONS are here right now?
Perhaps tightness or bracing
is there a familiar pattern?
Areas of tension where emotions tend to manifest?
What is written in the body?
● What EMOTIONS are here?
As best we can, turning towards any sense of discomfort or unpleasant feelings,
recognising them, acknowledging them.
Maybe there is a strong emotion in the foreground or numbness.
Acknowledging that these emotions are here.
Perhaps – if that is possible today – exploring what emotions are underneath or more subtle.
There is no need to push any of them away.
Welcoming them – as best we can, accepting them and giving them room.
● What THOUGHTS are going through the mind?
Acknowledging thoughts as mental events.
Labelling them without getting caught up in the story er tell ourselves. “thinking,” “justifying”, “remembering,”
Thoughts are real, but they are not necessarily true. Recognizing them, labelling them and letting them go again.
Acknowledging the vivid play of life inside ourselves.
Step 3 of the Breathing Space: RELAXING – Opening up
Slowly moving into the last step of the meditation. In your own time, letting go of the exploration of thoughts, emotions and sensations and coming back to the breath,
following the sensations of the breath flowing through the body.
Breathing in …
Breathing out …
When you are ready ….
Taking a long deep inbreath – filling the lungs
followed by an equally long and deep outbreath.
…
And another one.
A deep inbreath – Letting the breath fill the body with kind attention
A long outbreath – sending the body the intention of relaxation.
…
And another deep inbreath.
Becoming aware of the body as a whole, the posture, and facial expression. If there are sensations of discomfort, tension, or resistance, as best we can gently turning towards and breathing into them
having the intention to soften – releasing – letting go on the out-breath.
One more time – a deep, long inbreath – becoming aware of how the body is moved by the breath
and a long – slow- -deep outbreath.
Letting go …
letting go …
letting go …
Resuming the natural breath
Opening to the sounds in the room
Opening the eyes
And as best we can, bringing this expanded awareness to the next moments of the day.
The 3-Step-Breathing-Space is now complete.