3-Minute Breathing Space

This is the breathing space.

Finding a comfortable upright position if you're sat.

Alternatively you can carry out this exercise standing or lying in any posture.

It may help to close your eyes and imagine that you have a wide field of awareness both inside and outside of your body.

Expansive awareness.

Notice what you are feeling at this moment physically and emotionally.

What do you notice about your posture and how your posture feels?

Do you feel particularly comfortable in any way and if so where is this?

Be curious about what thoughts you are aware of going through your mind at this moment.

Can you place a little distance between you and your thoughts?

Try and observe them non-judgmentally and in a detached way rather than being caught up in them.

Narrowing into breathing.

So now we narrow our attention to inside ourselves and into your own breathing.

Bring your attention down to your breathing and the gentle rise and fall of your abdomen.

You're not trying to change your breathing in any way just simply being aware of it in a friendly open way.

It will of course be quite natural for your attention to wander away from your breathing and if this happens just notice where your attention has gone and then gently lead it back to your breathing again.

Expanding awareness.

Allow your conscious awareness to expand once again from your abdomen and into your whole body.

If you can notice a feeling of breathing into your whole body.

As it happens your whole body does breathe through your skin.

See if you can be aware of a sense of wholeness and completeness in yourself.

Fully accepting and non-striving.

Okay to be just who you are at this moment.

And when you're ready gently open your eyes and have a stretch.