Week 1: The beauty of the breath
- Formal practice this week: 10 minutes of sitting meditation daily
- Focus this week: the breath
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
How amazing the breath is – the vital function of life. All day long our lungs supply oxygen to each tiny cell in our body, keeping us alive. Each inhale, oxygen enters our body, gets diffused into the blood, is brought to the heart and pumped to all our organs. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide is filtered out with each exhale. Such an intricate process bearing no attention by us for most if not all of the day. The breath occurs subconsciously for good reason though, as it gives our minds the capacity to focus on other tasks at hand. Caring for lung cancer patients daily, I know how often we can take the breath for granted. A simple, clear, deep, unobstructed breath doesn’t come easy for some unfortunately. My hope for you this week is to bring awareness to the breath through sitting meditation. We will draw our attention away from the constant “doing mode” that our minds run in and adjust our focus to the “being mode” through the breath. The to-do lists will be there, the opportunity to multitask the remainder of the day will not dissipate, our rush against the clock will remain. But for 10 minutes a day, we will work towards reframing this cluttered mindset we live in by meditating and focusing just on the breath.
This may sound easy but not come as easy. You will need to physically and mentally make the commitment to practice mindfulness and meditation daily. This takes patience with your mind and your time, as well as discipline and will power, but you can do it!
The Critical Mind:
You may notice while you are meditating and trying really hard to focus on the breath that you can’t focus on being focused! Maybe you’ve tried meditation before and felt your mind constantly wandering. Or perhaps you’ve felt frustrated that you’re not “good” at meditation. This is your habitual mind speaking. Constantly judging you in your meditation and probably daily life too! When these patterns of thinking arise during your meditation practice, or even in your thoughts during the day, just notice them. That’s the first step. Feel what you’re feeling and where you’re feeling it. Doing this is what brings attention to the critical mind and interrupts the thought right then and there. Believe it or not, our judging minds can be re-wired and we can learn to be kinder to ourselves and better the life we live. Feeling the happiness and eagerness to get started bubbling?
As I’ve said in my previous post, old patterns of thinking are easy to resort back to. That’s what makes habits hard to break! The key is to consistently keep practicing mindfulness, even when you don’t feel like it or even if you don’t want to. This is how a NEW habit gets formed and soon this will be second nature and your way of better thinking.
If you begin meditating and focusing on the breath this week and find you absolutely hate it, please keep going. Things happen in life all the time that we don’t like. Trust me when I say practicing this, even if you hate it, will help you with other challenging moments in life, which are bound to happen.
The most important thing I want to stress is when the mind wanders during meditation and you notice it, be kind to yourself and bring your attention back to the present moment in your practice. Reground yourself, refocus on the breath. We will slowly learn to not be so self-critical in our meditation and in our lives. If the mind wanders 1,000 times and you hate yourself for it and feel horrible at this, I ask that each time that you notice, be kind to yourself and bring the attention back. It takes time, practice and patience to re-create the habits of the mind, but I promise you can get there!
Why the Breath?
Learning to shift your awareness to the breath has been proven to lessen anxieties and stressors. This meditation practice refocuses the mind, drawing it away from the “doing mode” of analyzing, thinking, problem solving, endless to-do lists, and in general, feeling life’s pressures. Being in this mode isn’t all bad. I like my lists and rely on them greatly to keep my life in order! It’s just that when you only live in “doing mode”, you’re missing out on other really important aspects of life. By learning to just be with the breath, you allow yourself to reconnect with your body, your emotions, and you begin to see things in a little different light. Your mind gets quieted and your attention is turned inward to the present moment, a place of calm and ease. Through this meditation practice, we will work towards slowing down, even if it’s only temporarily. My hope for you is that a new habit arises from this – an enlightened mind that is transcended into your entire day-to-day being, and not just the 10 minutes of formal practice.
This practice is also incredibly portable – carry it with you anywhere and anytime! Feeling stressed at work? Take 1 minute to just breathe, focusing on each inhale and exhale. Frustrated sitting in traffic? Bring your awareness to the breath and just be. Constantly distracted during the day? Practice with me and begin to notice positive change.
When to practice?
Many people find the morning to be the best time for sitting meditation. It’s well before distractions of the busy day kick in, before the kids wake up, before your mind starts running in overdrive. It’s also a great opportunity to set your intentions for the day – you can decide with a fresh and alert mind how you want to live today. The curiosity bubbles, the mind is open, and opportunity arises.
Where to practice?
Anywhere you can find some quiet space. Your living room, office, car, outside. Find a spot where you can sit comfortably on a chair or on the ground. Set up some pillows if that makes you happy. Lie down if that brings you ease (without falling asleep of course). Remove your phone from the room and minimize distractions. If using technology for a timer, silence those incoming calls & texts and clear out any interruptions.
How to practice?
Begin by getting into a comfortable position – sitting on the floor, in a chair, upright in bed. You can lay down if that feels most comfortable, just be cautious to not fall asleep. Straighten the back, bringing the crown of the head toward the ceiling, allowing for easy expansion of the lungs. You can tilt the chin slightly toward the chest if that feels right. Relax the shoulders down your back. Let your arms rest wherever you please. Soften and close your eyes. Feel the connection with the earth – your knees and ankles touching the ground, your bottom on a cushion, your feet flat on the ground or your hands on your knees.
Start by noticing the sensations of the breath and focus your attention to where you feel this the most. In the belly as it expands and contracts with each breath. In the chest, as the lungs fill and empty with each breath, causing the chest to rise and fall. In the nose as air is passed in and out gently. Wherever you feel it, settle the attention there as best you can. Sit where you are and breath as you are, no need to really do anything at all here. Remember that each time you become aware of your wandering mind, kindly bring it back to the sensations of the breath.
How long to practice?
10 minutes a day, 7 days a week. I ask that you try your best for daily practice but it’s understandable that things can get in the way. If you can’t squeeze 10 minutes out of your day, try 5. Come back to it the following day if you miss one. And remember this is a lifelong journey to living. After the weeks of our mindfulness practices come to a close, you can continue sitting meditation and focusing on the breath anytime, anywhere.
