What is it?
The mindfulness of the breath exercise is a basic, but powerful mindfulness practice. It involves focusing your attention on the physical sensations that are associated with breathing, such as the rise and fall of the belly, or the sensations of air as it travels in and out of your nostrils. By bringing your attention back to your breath whenever you find it wandering, you are training your attention and helping to develop a greater awareness of your internal monologue.
What are the Benefits?
Research has shown that mindfulness meditation is associated with lower levels of negative emotional states such as stress, anxiety, depression and rumination. Mindfulness has also been associated with increased life satisfaction, coping skills, self-esteem, concentration, optimism and general positive emotions, such as happiness. Our breath is our constant companion; our anchor. When we find ourselves in times of stress or worry, we can always direct our focus back to our breathing as a way of bringing ourselves back into the present moment.
How can I do it?
Below, we have provided links to guided meditations that you can either download or stream. There are 5 minute, 10 minute, and 15 minute mindfulness of the breath practices for you to try. Using a guided meditation is not essential to practicing mindfulness, however may make it easier when you are first starting out. Later, when you feel comfortable, you are encouraged to practice mindfulness without the guided MP3’s, as a way to further develop the skills. Although there is no best way to practice mindfulness, below are some suggestions that may help make your practice easier (mindfulness enablers), and that may get in the way of your practice (mindfulness barriers). Remember that everyone is different and so it’s important to recognise what does and doesn’t work for your own practice.
