STOP Practice

In step one of the breathing space,

Becoming aware of the present moment in its fullness,

By deliberately adopting an erect and dignified posture,

Whether sitting or standing.

Allow your eyes to close if that is possible or appropriate in this moment,

Otherwise keeping them open,

And in either case resting in awareness of the inner experience,

Opening to it and asking what is my experience right now?

What thoughts are going through my mind?

And as best as you can,

Noting thoughts as mental events,

Perhaps even becoming aware of their content in words,

What feelings are here?

Turning towards and opening to any sense of emotional discomfort and unpleasant feelings,

What body sensations are here right now?

Perhaps quickly scanning the body and picking up on any sensations of tightness or bracing.

Now in step two,

Gathering and redirecting your attention,

Focus on the physical sensations of the breath itself,

Moving in close to the sense of the breath in the belly,

Feeling the sensation in the abdominal wall,

Noting how it expands with each in-breath and falls back with each out-breath,

With full awareness following the breath all the way in and all the way out,

Using the breathing to anchor you into the present moment.

And now in step three,

Expanding the field of awareness around your breathing so that in addition to the sensations of the breath,

It includes a sense of the body,

Your posture and your facial expressions,

How they feel from the inside.

If you become aware of any sensations of discomfort and or resistance,

Just experimenting gently with breathing into them on the in-breath and breathing out from them on the out-breath,

Perhaps feeling a softening and releasing with each out-breath.

And if you care to perhaps saying to yourself on the out-breath,

It's already here,

Whatever it is,

It's already here,

Let me feel it.

And now as best as you can,

Bringing this expanded,

More spacious and accepting awareness to the next moments of your day,

Whatever circumstances you find yourself in as it continues to unfold.