Have you got 3 minutes to spare....

Well if ever there was a need for me to be mindful it's now!  I haven't got a clue what to write! 

I was going to devote a whole afternoon of thinking about, drafting and writing my blog which would of course be wonderfully interesting, thought provoking and seriously funny all at the same time but it just didn't happen!  (I'm seeing a pattern of behaviour here - high expectations....never gonna achieve them...so don't bother!).  But here I am!  I have switched off the negative self talk and turned up anyway!  I think I've digressed...where was I?  Oh yes, I was going to devote hours to making this the best blog ever but I got waylaid.  Life's like that isn't it?  I started off well, I sat down, mindfulness books stacked majestically, lap top poised and ready to access the latest in cutting edge mindfulness research - ok ok, that's going a bit far but I was going to nosey round and see what was going down in the world of the here and now!!!!  And just as I was about to start, my lovely father in law called round.  We had a chat, both of us a little deaf (him because he is a little deaf and me from sinusitis), it was an interesting dialogue, lots of hmms, pardons and misunderstandings but we managed well.  Then I decided to try and download a 3 minute breathing space for one of my counselling clients who'd asked for a copy (I was delighted!!!).  I'd done a recording on my voice recorder and our lovely Mindfulness head guru had talked us through the basics of sound editing.  Unfortunately, this was over a year ago and I've had a sleep since then and now don't know my WAV's from my elbow!  After much googling and forum advice I realised that the (cheap) voice recorder I'd purchased only recorded in WMA and that didn't work with my sound editing software!  So that's 3 hours I'm never gonna get back!  I spent a further half hour wondering whether to record it again (aiming to get it word perfect without any hmms, coughing, paper shuffling or cats miaowing in the background - could be a bit off putting when you are meditating don't you think?) but in the end decided to leave it for the day and look at twitter instead!  Then I thought, oooh I'll do a 3 minute breathing space on Twitter (not easy in 140 characters I can tell you!)  Actually it turned out to be 420 characters over 3 tweets but I was impressed with my brevity!  So...whilst I was unable to record my work for one client on a CD, I was able to send it out into cyber space where 1 of my many!!! (17) followers may choose to just stop what they are doing and spend 3 minutes of their day just being mindful. 

So....have you got 3 minutes to spare?  If so read on.  Here's the 3 minute breathing space.  Great to do when you feel a bit stressed.   You can try it first thing in a morning as you start your day (even before you get out of bed).  Between tasks at work (you can do it just sat looking at your computer or out of the window) or on the bus going home.  It's just an opportunity to press the pause button.....and we all need to do that from time to time.

Have a good week.

Mindfulmissyxx

3 Minute Breathing Space

Step 1 - 1 minute - AWARENESS

Get yourself comfortable.  Sit in an upright dignified posture.  If possible close your eyes.
Bring yourself into the present moment by asking yourself...

"What is my experience right now?  What are my thoughts?  What are my feelings?  What are my bodily sensations?

eg:  You may be worrying about work, feeling happy that you have finished for the weekend, that there is a knot in your shoulder or butterflies in your tummy etc.

Whatever your experience is, just acknowledge it and accept it without judgement or criticism. 

Step 2 - 1 minute - GATHERING

Moving now to your breathing, giving it your full attention.  Notice your breath as it enters and leaves your body.  Where do you feel it, chest/tummy/nostrils/throat.  Observe the rise and fall of your chest or tummy.  Notice the quality of the breath and how the in breath may differ from the out breath.  You're not trying to change your breathing or force it - you are merely observing your own natural rhythm of breathing and using this as a way to anchor you into the present moment.  Giving yourself a moment of awareness and stillness.

Step 3 - 1 minute - EXPANDING

Develop your awareness of your breathing further by expanding it so that when you breathe you include a sense of your body as a whole.  Imagine you are breathing right out to your edges - finger tips, soles of your feet, top of your head including your face.

This breathing space allows you to step out of automatic pilot and just connect with the here and now.  It can be very grounding and calming and is a useful exercise if you are feeling overwhelmed with difficult thoughts and feelings.  Or just because you want to pause.