Clifton: You are listening to a mindful moment from the Well-Being and YU podcast. To access more Well-Being resources, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and visit our website at https://counselling.students.yorku.ca/well-being-podcast
Marcie Campbell: So today I'm going to be doing a mindfulness exercise on mindfulness of breathing. This exercise is from Tara Brach and Jack Cornfield's course Mindfulness daily. It's an online course that you can access at Tara Brach's website, www.tarabrach.com. That's tarabrach.com mindfulness means focusing your attention on the present moment, being curious about the moment, and accepting it without judgment. It is not about clearing your mind, as that is not possible, but it is about choosing to pay attention to the present moment with an openness and curiosity and accepting what is in a kind and nonjudgmental way. Being mindful is not multitasking or rushing, but taking time, being focused and fully present of where we are and what we are doing and approaching our experience with warmth and kindness. Mindfulness has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, improve concentration, increase our use of self-compassion and compassion for others, improve emotion regulation, and just better our overall well-being. Today I wanted to start with a mindfulness exercise called mindfulness of breathing. The idea is to focus on your breathing and allow your breath to serve as a calming anchor to the present moment, especially during times of stress or being consumed by uncomfortable emotions or anxious thoughts. Mindfulness of breathing is not about controlling the breath, it is about being aware of what the breath is actually doing, its natural changing rhythm, its inflow and outflow. Using your breath as anchor helps to steady and calm yourself and is always here for you to steady your attention. As we begin this practice, remember to be patient with yourself. You'll notice that maybe in 1 minute you feel calm and present, but then the next you feel distracted or irritated. You may have many thoughts that come into your mind, such as things you need to do today or even if you are doing this exercise correctly. This is normal and natural and how our brains actually work. Research has indicated we have thousands of thoughts a day. Mindfulness is about noticing these thoughts without judgment and bringing yourself back into the present moment using your breath. Some people imagine these thoughts floating away like a cloud or a leaf on a stream, or watching these thoughts come and go like waves, but always bringing your attention back to your breath, to your anchor. Maintaining a kind and interested attention to the breath through all the changes in your mind is actually how you deepen the art of a calm and steady focus. So let's try this practice together. Settle in your chair or wherever you're situated. You can establish a simple sense of present. You may close your eyes or have a soft gaze. Let your body arrive in this moment and your mind rest at ease. Just notice the state of your body just now, however it is, and bring a kind attention, to it. And now take two or three deep breaths to release any tension and feel the breath moving through your body. Now that the breath resumes to its natural rhythm, bring your attention to wherever you most easily feel the breath in your body. This could be your nostrils or your throat, your chest, or your belly. Simply be as mindful of your breathing as you can. If it's difficult to feel the breath in any of these ways, you can put the palm of your hand on your belly and notice how it rises and falls with each breath. Now let yourself feel the next three in and out breaths. And as you sense each breath, let the mind calm and the body relax.
Now try three more breaths. Continue with this relaxed and calming attention on the breath for a time, and whenever your attention wanders, as soon as you notice, bring it back gently. This repeated returning is the training of awareness.
As you feel each breath, sense how it can calm and relax you as you naturally inhale and exhale. Now with your next breath, begin to add the soft inner words. Calm as you breathe in and ease as you breathe out, keeping your attention primarily on the changing sensations of breathing. Just let those soft words calm and ease. Quiet the mind and enhance the focus. Calm and ease, letting the rhythm of the breath change as it will, sometimes long, sometimes short. Simply feel the rhythm just as it is now in each moment. Mindfulness of this breath sensing the qualities of calm and ease as you experience it. Notice now if the words calm and ease are helping you to settle the body and mind and focus more easily with the breath, and if so, continue to use them. If not, if they feel artificial or interfere with the direct sense of the breath, then let them go and continue with silent awareness. Do whatever helps you stay present most easily. We'll take a few more moments, letting your attention deepen.
So, you can continue the practice of mindfulness breathing as you carry on with the rest of your day using the words calm and ease. If they help you settle, you can use mindfulness of breathing right before you're about to go into that meeting that you have, or into that class, or to write an exam. Or you can do it if you are feeling not very grounded and you need to feel more focused or right before you go to bed to help you settle and fall into sleep. But be patient and kind to yourself as you begin this practice. It's just that it's a practice and it takes time to build your mindful muscle. So again, be patient, be kind, and use your breath as your anchor in the present moment.
