Breathing Space is a short mindfulness-practice, easy to learn and simple to apply in daily life. It takes around three minutes and, after practicing it at home a couple of times, you can do it in every situation to find back to mindfulness.
The exercise has three sections, symbolized by an hourglass very nicely:
- gather awareness (broad)
- hold attention in your center (tight)
- expand attention (broad)
Part 1
- sit (or stand) upright
- close your eyes (if it’s more comfortable: except for a small gap)
- recognise your emotions, thoughts and the sensations of your body
Try not to judge but simply realise the sensations thoughts and emotions – even if they are unpleasant. This deactivates the “autopilot” and leads your attention to your entire body.
Part 2
- now “tighten” your attention to your breath
- feel how your breath is moving your stomach – your center
- try to hold your attention at your center for one minute
lead your thoughts explicitly to your breath if your thoughts should straggle: “I breathe in … I breathe out …”.
Part 3
- now slowly expand your attention to the entire body
- let your breath take a backseat and watch your sensations, emotions and thoughts
- open your eyes widely
You could be very relaxed after the exercise maybe even sleepy. That’s good but can be inappropriate for some situations (driving a car!). In this case it is helpful to stretch yourself – like getting out of bed. This way you keep your attention and you are “back to 100%”.