“Notice your breath.” It sounds simple. How long can you focus on just inhales and exhales? For years, I tried to “teach myself” how to meditate without success. I knew about the benefits, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it.
The thinking part of my mind has dominated (and still shows up) in my life; the observing part of my mind has struggled to be heard. When I stop thinking about how to meditate and sit quietly and observe without “performing,” things start to change. A first step that becomes a moment of meditation, is to tune into my breath.
If you’re interested and willing to meditate, then follow these steps:
Try one cycle of a breath where you inhale, pause for 1-2 counts, and then exhale longer than you inhaled. This cycle calms your body and begins to reset your Limbic System, the instinctive part of your brain that dictates emotions and protective reactions like flight, flight, or freeze. Try again and increase the count on the inhale to 4-5, pause, exhale longer than you inhale…
Close your eyes or find a restful, soft focus and continue another cycle of slow breathing. Tune into one sense per breath, as you move the air in and out of your body.
Feel how the breath enters your body. How does it fill your lungs, your belly, your back?
Listen to the sound of the air going in and out of your body. Is it louder than you remember? Does it have a rumble to it?
Is there a scent to the air you are breathing? Maybe it has rained; maybe you smell food.
How is your body making contact with the world—are you standing and your feet are rooted, are you sitting and your legs and back are supported by a chair, or are you lying down?
Is there any taste in your mouth from a drink—matcha, coffee? Are you thirsty?
If your mind wanders as you move from sense to sense, make note of the thought and go back to the breathing. We can strengthen this tool focusing together. As Jorge Armesto, likes to say, “Small moments, many times, add up.”
by Carolyn Bell
A Step Towards Meditating
