Long Island Center For Cognitive Therapy
Suffolk Cognitive-Behavioral, PLLC
MINDFUL BREATHING
The purpose of breathing exercises done mindfully should not be on feeling less of something, e.g., “feeling less anxious” or on “distracting yourself”. Mindful breathing exercises are instead meant to help us practice living more fully in the present. Mindfulness and mindful breathing are ways to actually practice, acceptance of the present moment. Secondly mindfulness is a way to practice learning to more fully see the difference between your immediate experience and thoughts (which evaluate that experience). Thirdly, these exercises are meant to help you see and react to emotions and thoughts in new and more flexible ways.
If you also happen to feel relaxed as a side benefit of these exercises, think of it as a welcome bonus, but not the central purpose. Sometimes trying hard to relax, is like trying hard to pull your finger out of Chinese finger-cuffs, you only get more stuck.
TYPES OF MINDFUL BREATHING EXERCISES
You can and should practice mindfulness anytime, anywhere, while doing anything, including times and places when you’re not anxious. A good way to develop mindfulness is to start with mindful breathing exercises. Think of these breathing exercises like “anchors” or as a “home base” from which to develop mindfulness. Remember don’t get re-stuck in the paradox of using these exercises to just “get rid of anxiety”. Trying to hard to relax can backfire, e.g., the anxiety paradox: “the more you are not willing to have a feeling, the more you end up with it”. Mindful breathing is used as a way to let go of the tug of war with anxious feelings.
1) PACED BREATHING & THE BOXED BREATH: Breathe at a slightly slower pace than normal. To help practice a slower breath we “pace” it or count it out. The pace is sometimes called a “boxed breath”, 3 seconds for inhale, 3 seconds for exhale, with 1/4 of a second in between each (see diagram 1). It’s OK to vary the pace a little, some breaths can be a little shorter, some a little longer. These breaths should be quite natural, not forced into un-natural slowness. In through the nose, out through pursed lips. Use each exhale as a reminder to “let go”. With each exhale, focus on words and sensations of letting go. Let go of anything you are holding onto. Let go of your inhaled breath, let go of thoughts, let go of muscle tension, let go of urges, but stay focused on breathing. The more your body unwinds, the more you might be able to pause between breaths, particularly the pause after the exhale. Repeat for a minimum of five minutes.
Diagram 1. THE PACED OR BOXED BREATH
3 SECONDS
INHALE
(Through nose)
¼ second ¼ second
EXHALE (LETTING GO)
3 SECOND
(Through mouth)
2) BELLY BREATHING (DIAPRHRAMATIC BREATHING)
When you have gotten familiar with paced breathing, you can deepen it by breathing from your diaphragm. This will make your boxed breath not only paced, but deep and full. As a beginner it is better to practice belly breathing with loose clothes and lying down, lay you hand loosely over your belly button, and with each paced inhale, feel your belly fill up with air. With each slow exhale, feel it slowly empty of air while you’re your belly drops back down. In through the nose, out through the mouth (let go). Repeat for a minimum of five minutes.
3) THE 10 CENTERING COUNT:
After getting familiar with the combined paced-belly-breath, you can begin to practice them it in sets of 10. This is a aid to staying focused or centered. Your mind will definitely wander, (which can be both fun or annoying) each time it does wander, gently come back to your focused 10 count breathing, and get re-centered. Count 1 as the inhale, then 2 on the exhale, then 3 inhale, 4 exhale, 5 inhale, 6 exhale, 7 inhale, 8 exhale, 9 inhale, 10 exhale. When you notice that your mind gets swept away into other thoughts, just come back to the ten count and resume where you left off. Repeat for 10 minutes.
4) MINDFUL NOTICING BREATH (IMPARTIAL OBSERVING)
When you have gotten familiar with some of the above breathing exercises you can try a more broadly aware type of mindfulness breathing. Of many types of meditation exercises, this is one of the most advanced and challenging. In this exercise use a natural breath, don’t try to pace it, let each breath be at whatever pace it wants, some deeper some, shallower etc. Do use keep your focus on each inhale and exhale, and use the breath as an “anchor” or “home base”, but not necessarily as the only focus. Unlike the previous breathing exercises, breathing focus is used as a home base, but, here the simultaneous focus is on what else happens in each immediate moment, while being focused on your breath. On any given moment, your attention will naturally wander, let that happen, practice noticing, your senses, and you also on noticing your thoughts and feelings, urges.
FOCUS, WATCH AND BE AWARE OF YOUR MIND FROM MOMENT TO MOMENT. Be aware of the evasive and subtle moving target of your mind dancing around. This is pure practice in being mindful of watching your “stream of consciousness”. It is practice in watching the mind as if it were a stream carrying objects (your thoughts, feeling, sensations, memories, urges) or like watching characters in a passing parade. But, the challenge is to not join the characters in the parade. When you do notice you’ve gotten attached to objects in the stream, come back to your paced breath, exhale and let the objects float away. Take a few paced breaths, come back to the immediate present moment and then start observing again.
This type of mindfulness exercise is sometimes referred to as developing a “impartial or neutral observer perspective”. Try and watch and accept each passing moment without intentionally making judgments, or commentary. Be mindful of; noticing, thoughts, sensations, emotions, memories, urges, without acting on or judging any of it. After being “carried away” by thoughts again, intermittently come back to several paced breaths again, then let go again and just observe, then breath, then observe again, then breath and so on for 10 minutes.
You might want to start and end this 10 minutes of “freestyle mindfulness” by first getting centered with two or more “10 centering counts”. Get comfortable, get settled into the present moment with the 10 counts, then begin your 10 minutes of “freestyle mindfulness”. At the end of 10 minutes, end again with a 10 count. Then try to carry your mindful attitude into your next few moments, and into the rest of your day.
MOVING MINDFULNESS
For some people, at some times, sitting still can seem like an almost impossibly difficult thing to do. Any of these mindfulness exercises can therefore also done while moving. Mindful breathing can work as an excellent combination with various types of movement. You can and should also practice mindfulness exercises while engaged in regular daily activities. Try using mindful breathing for a short sustained period of time, e.g. 2 minutes while; walking, washing dishes, driving, eating, showering, etc. Get into the habit of being mindful even when not formally sitting down to practice mindfulness.
To review the main points of mindfulness:
1) A way to more fully experience and accept living in the present, immediate moment.
2) A way to experience life more directly, not just through; thoughts, evaluations, words and descriptions. To help experience thoughts for what they really are, not what they say they are.
Do use these exercises to accept feelings, and thoughts for what they are. Do not secretly try to use these exercises to “get rid of anxiety or sadness”. Trying to make anxiety go away with these exercises will only put you right back into the struggle with trying not to feel “out of control”.
3) A way to really practice, reacting differently to thoughts/feelings, urges, memories, and therefore being better prepared for new purposeful actions in your life.
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