Just Breathe - mindful breathing as an anchor

We here are a lot of mindfulness practices out there…and a variety of ways to integrate mindfulness into your life. 

Mindfulness, as defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn, is the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment without judgment.

On a deeper level, mindfulness helps us gain insight into the identities we are so attached to, the programs and thoughts running rampant in our minds with no management. By practicing mindfulness, we allow for the still space to open up to us more deeply. We become more aware of held beliefs about ourselves and start to really explore them. With this comes greater insights into our lives and we begin to witness how we are showing up without judgement. 

The mindful breath is our anchoring piece. By focusing on the breath, the idea is to cultivate attention on the body and mind AS IS--   moment to moment. The breath presences us and brings attention to our mind-body connection. It can help heal pain both physical and emotional when given the chance.

Our BREATH invites us into our bodies and out of our survival reactions in the head. This simple practice of feeling the texture of the breath, the rising and falling, and the physical sensations of movement, gives us a deeper focus and calms the reactors in the brain. 

By training to pay attention to the breath, we create a focus away from the emotional or physical trigger that we may experience. This practice can cultivate the ability to be present when difficulty and temptation arises. It's the very reason, in crisis, we say, "Just Breathe", connecting to our life energy.

According to neuroscience, mindfulness practices lesson the activity in our amygdala (which is the emotional part of our brain) and increases the connections between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex (the executive functioning, problem solving, part of our brain.

The moment we are interested in the process of breathing, we are training ourselves in curiosity and self-healing. 

Just Breathe!

SELF-CARE Action Step:

To Practice: Find a comfortable position. Focus your attention on your breath. Notice your body from the inside…the sensations, the touch, the connection with the floor or the chair. Notice any areas of tightness or tension. Allow your body to breath gently.
Pay attention to the inhale and exhale of the breath. 

Start with 1 minute everyday, increase if you feel that you are at a place to sit and center longer.