Breathe with Mindfulness Today!
by Sandi Anders, M.Div., R.Y.T.
One of my favorite mindfulness authors is Thich Nhat Hanh -- and
my favorite book by him is Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life. (You can read an extensive Book Review in The Guide to Self-Help Books - Previous Pick of the Week.)
Peace Is Every Step is simply written in short chapters that can be read each day as a reminder to nourish awareness and mindfulness. This book encourages me to be in touch with my breath as I go through my days, awake and alive to each moment as it is unfolding.
So, right now, as you read this, I would encourage you to become conscious of the life-sustaining presence of your breath in this moment.
Notice that you are breathing in and that you are breathing out. What does it feel like in your body to breathe in? What is the feeling of breathing out? What is the difference between the inhalation and the exhalation? Where do you notice the presence of the breath in your body? Do you feel the presence and energy of the breath in the nostrils, in the throat, in the lungs, in the belly?
Take a few moments to really feel the touch of the breath inside your body. With each outbreath, begin to relax as you let your shoulders fall away from your ears.
As you breathe in, you can mentally say to yourself, "I know that
I am breathing in." As you breathe out, say to yourself, "I know that I am breathing out." You can shorten those phrases to "in"
as you breathe in and "out" as you breathe out.
For the next few breaths, allow 95% of your awareness to remain on the physical feeling of the breath and perhaps 5% of your awareness to rest on the soft mental naming of "in" with inbreath and "out" with outbreath.
After a few breaths, what do you notice? What effect does this awareness of the breath have on you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?
Now, as you breathe in, say to yourself: "May I open to the presence of calm within me." As you breathe out, say to yourself, "May I continually dwell in the present moment with gratitude and joy."
Take several opportunities to be aware of your breath today!
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More relevant resources are listed in The Guide to Self-Help Books. Useful sections of the Guide include: Health and Wellness; Meditation; Stress Management and Relaxation; and Yoga and Pilates.
(c) 2005 Permission is granted to reprint this article, "Breathe with Mindfulness Today!," in print or on your website as long as the paragraph below is included:
Sandi Anders, M.Div., R.Y.T., http://www.SandiAnders.com, is a contributor to The Guide to Self-Help Books, http://www.Books4SelfHelp.com. Her CD, The Alchemy of Peace & Love (http://www.Imagery4Relaxation.com), offers two hours of guided relaxation and meditation. She is a stress management specialist, yoga and meditation teacher, and musician and life coach.
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