What is Mindful breathing?
Mindful breathing is a very simple, yet powerful meditation practice. The idea is to focus your attention on your breathing -focus on the rhythm and flow and the way it feels on each inhale and exhale.
What is the purpose of mindful breathing?
It gives us an anchor - our breath - in stressful thoughts and situations. It helps keep us in the present moment, distracting us from regrets of the past or what the future holds.
How do I practice mindful breathing?
- Choose a quiet location, IE the shower or whiles making food.
- Shift your focus on breathing
- Between 1 and 5 minutes a day would be good practice.
- Breath in and out slowly
- Use a breath cycle of +- 6 seconds
- Let the breath flow effortlessly in and out of your body.
- Let go of your thoughts - Acknowledge them and let them go. Be at one with your breath.
- Focus your awareness on breathing in, notice how it fills your body with life.
- watch the breath leave your body, and releases all your worries and stress into the universe.
What are the health benefits of mindful breathing?
- Reduced stress levels. -Focusing on a single sensation can help still the mind.-
- Lowering blood pressure.
- Reduced burnout.
- Lowered heart rate.
- Increased relaxation.
@christog9 Mindful breathing has been such an extraordinary accomplishment for me. I find myself coming back to my breath more now then ever before. I can think more clearly, my heart rate slows down, my anxiety settles; it's wonderful.
Another trick I had read in a book called "Peace is Every Step" by Thich Nhat Hanh is when you find your mind swirling with many different thoughts, to help get that focus back on the breath, while you're breathing in say, "I am breathing in" or simply "In" and while you are breathing out, "I am breathing out" or simply "Out". This will allow your mind to bring its focus and attention back onto the breath.
These simple phrases have helped me and I hope they can help anyone else who is taking this journey :) Be patient and keep on practicing
Thank you for sharing this insightful list of good reasons to practice mindful breathing.