Mindful Meditation – Breathing with Awareness

There are many mindful meditation techniques. Mindful breathing is one of the easier ones. This breathing meditation can reduce stress and promote health.

For thousands of years, eastern traditions have been practicing mindfulness breathing and many people today are recognizing the benefits that mindfulness can have in reducing stress and anxiety and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

In today’s world there are so many things going on. The Internet, the cell phone and email – all clamoring for our attention and distracting us, making it hard for us to focus.

So a lot of mindfulness techniques are about training that focus – rather than focusing on the past or the future, bring your focus to the "here and now".

Just the other day I bought myself a puppy. The puppy was not paper trained. So here I was trying to teach my puppy to do his thing on the paper.

The puppy would wander off, and I would bring him back to the paper. Again and again… he would wander off and I would bring him back to the paper.

Well mindful meditation of the breath is a little bit the same.

Each time that you notice your mind wandering off track gently notice that your mind has wandered and bring your focus back to the mindful meditation of the breath.

Each time represents an opportunity to practice mindful meditation.

Recognizing that your mind has wandered off represents an opportunity for you to practice mindfulness meditation.

Do this for 5 minutes one day…perhaps 10 minutes the next day and 15 or 20 the next day. It is always better to do a little meditation than none.

Tips for mindful meditation of the breath

1. I find that bringing the awareness of the breath to the feeling of air passing in and out of my nose creates a greater sense of awareness. Alternatively, you can bring your focus to the expansion and contraction of the stomach. Try not to move between both in one sitting.
2. As a society we are goal orientated. Try to approach your meditation with as few expectations as possible.
3. Many of my clients tell me that they can’t meditate because they get distracted. They may dwell on the past or worry about the future. I remind them that distractions represent an opportunity to bring your mind back to the breathing. Each time they notice their mind wandering off is a time to congratulate themselves and then gently bring the mind back to the breath.

Other breathing exercises and relaxation strategies for stress relief

There are a number of other breathing and relaxation techniques that you can use to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Here are some breathing relaxation techniques.

Incorporating deep breathing, these breathing exercises develop your stress management skills. The first breathing promotes a calm and relaxed state. The second breathing exercise builds on work by Dr Stroebel of Yale in which the Quieting Reflex counters the stress response in 6 seconds. Both these deep breathing exercises require about 10 minutes practice a day.

Diaphragmatic breathing is the foundation of many relaxation techniques and is as old as yoga and Tai Chi. By developing your deep breathing skills you promote your health and take more control of stress. Here are some simple steps to diaphragmatic breathing.

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