Mindfulness of Breath

The core of my meditation practice is mindfulness of breathing. Placing my attention on my breath is one of the easiest ways to bring the focus back to the present moment. Paying attention to my breath allows me to center my current experience in my body rather than in my mind or thoughts. 

Mindfulness of breathing is one of the simplest practices to learn; however, it can also be one of the most difficult. I use mindfulness of breathing as a standalone practice and at the beginning or end of other types of meditation to connect with a greater sense of present moment awareness. 

The breath is a common anchor in mindfulness meditation. An anchor is something we place our attention on during meditation. Like a ship at sea, when we practice meditation, it's easy to get lost in the sea of thoughts, feelings, and sensations that make up our moment-to-moment experience. Having an anchor when we meditate can help us stay grounded and focused, so we are less likely to get swept away by the current of our experience. Even with an anchor, it is inevitable that we will get lost, swept away by a strong current of thought, feeling, or physical sensation. The practice of mindfulness is not to stop our thoughts, feelings, or sensations any more than we can stop the ocean's waves. We practice mindfulness to become aware and learn about the waves, how they move, shift, and behave. 

The moment we notice that our attention is no longer on our breath, our anchor, is a moment of awareness. In that moment of awareness, we can choose to come back to our anchor, our breath. It does not matter how long we have been lost at sea, swept away by the current of thoughts, feelings, and sensations. What matters is the moment of awareness, when we mindfully return home to our breath and find our anchor once again. It also does not matter how many times we get lost, only that we continue to find our way back, knowing that the breath is always there to anchor and support us. 

For more tips on mindfulness of breath, including working with challenges (i.e., Breathing with pain, trauma, or anxiety), leave your email to sign up for the latest blog updates.