Lesson 1 ~ Breath and Body Awareness

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MINDFULNESS ~ BREATH & AWARENESS

1.  Breath & Body Awareness

A meditation practice for breathing and body awareness, is to be present in the moment with our thoughts, emotions and what we are feeling. It has been shown to reduce stress mentally, emotionally, physically, to increase alertness and boost the immune system.  To focus on breathing is revered for creating great inner peace, personal greatness and becoming more insightful.  A mindful tool for reduction in pain, anxiety, happiness, clarity, and calmness.  For centuries yogis have used breath control, or pranayama, to promote concentration and improve vitality. Buddha advocated breath-meditation as a way to reach enlightenment.

The first session will start with being present with our breath.  All to often, the breath is taken for granted. It is such an automatic, unconscious, and effortless function that we do not think about drawing attention to it and how it can deepen a sense of peace by easing the body’s stress response.  To be aware of breath and body when we are breathing is one of the most healthy, non-stressful mindful exercises we can do.

Here are a few tips for the meditation:

At the start of the meditation, begin by being here and now, cognizant of your breath moving as if through a tunnel, starting with the feet that are the roots of the body, drawing awareness up from the ground, into the rest of the body. Envision the breath then returning back through the same passageway ending with an exhale through your mouth.

Notice how the chest and stomach rise while breathing in and how they fall on exhaling.  Be cognizant of this.    If you find thoughts are wandering (this is quite common), begin with being conscious of the breath moving through the tunnel again starting at the nostrils….

Breath and Body Awareness Guided Meditation

A few things to

follow up after your session.

– Did you pay attention to your breath while in this exercise?

– How did your body feel?

– Did you visualize the “breath” travelling through your “tunnels”?

– How did you feel when you were finished this exercise?

Practice this exercise whenever possible, in a quiet environment where there are no disruptions.  It is up to you how long you run your own exercise, it can be 3-5 minutes up to 10 – 15 minutes or longer if preferred.  You may do this with the meditation that is included, just to music of your choice, with no words or in a quiet space with no sounds around you.

Sometimes we are surrounded by others and noises, but we can still escape to a bathroom (as an example), if we need the time to take a few minutes and ground our thoughts and become relaxed again.

MINDFULNESS EXERCISES & MEDITATIONS
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