5-minute breath meditation

What goes with you wherever you go?   Your breath.   You are always breathing whether you notice it or not, and because your breath is always present, it can be a great anchor for you attention when practicing mindfulness meditation.  

Anchors are great.  They hold a boat steady in the water, whether in calm or choppy waters.    Have you ever felt choppy waters inside such as feelings of not being grounded or unsteady in your body, mind, or heart? Who doesn’t these days?  Your breath can serve as a mindfulness anchor to ease you back into the present moment, where it is possible to regain a sense of steadiness and stability no matter what is going on around you.

 You can practice this brief guided meditation anytime that works best for you. Some people find it quite helpful to start their day meditating, others like to pause before they arrive at work or during lunch.  Or you could sandwich your day with this breath meditation by practicing in the am and then again in the pm.  Don’t have 5 minutes?  Start the recording and leave when you need to.   It is also possible that after practicing with my guidance for a while, you may choose to skip the recording and practice on your own.  Whatever supports you best.  Even 1 minute of mindful attention on the breath is worthwhile.    And you can always practice longer than the 5-minute recording, gradually increasing to 20 minutes or more.

Here are a few important things to remember as you practice this breath meditation.

1.  No need to force yourself to ‘get relaxed’ or ‘breathe deeply’.   It’s a myth that meditation will make you feel Zen and blissed out.     Sure, you may find yourself relaxing, but you also may not.  Each experience is different.  Becoming more aware of your present moment experience IS the practice so let go of these types of expectations, big or small.

2. Be gentle and curious as you practice this breath meditation.  Mindfulness is about paying wise attention to what is happening in the present moment with a gentle curiosity.  Our minds want to judge everything, especially when we are trying something new.  So, notice your judgements and see if you can let them go or set them aside.   We are the hardest on ourselves so this is an invitation to be easy with yourself and it may be a new way of relating to yourself. 

3. Whatever happens in the meditation is your experience and you can’t get it wrong. There is no such thing as a perfect meditation experience or perfect meditator.   We don’t practice meditation to eventually cross a finish, be done, or get a medal.  By practicing on a regular basis, we strengthen something inside of us called Awareness.  And as our Awareness grows stronger, the grip of our habitual automatic responses starts to loosen up.  We become less reactive and more responsive to ourselves, our relationships, and the world.