Mindfulness of Breathing

Breathing is something that we all do, all of the time!  Yet we are often completely unaware of how it feels in the moment. By bringing our focus intentionally onto the breath we can immerse ourselves in what is happening right now. We can choose to notice any aspect of the breath that we like - perhaps the gentle sound of the inbreath and outbreath, or the feeling of the chest rising and falling as the breath enters and leaves our body, or perhaps the sensation at the tip of the nose as air gently passes in and out of the nostrils. We may notice that the air feels slightly cooler as we breathe in, and slightly warmer as we breathe out - a very subtle difference that requires all of our attention for us to notice it.

When thoughts arise, as they will undoubtedly do (it is the nature of our minds to think!), the key is to just notice them without judgement or frustration. Instead of getting caught up in the thoughts and following our own little narrative, we simply choose to let the thought go and bring our awareness back to the breath, simply observing and experiencing the breath as it happens - nothing more, nothing less.