We’re all just practicing here.
We don’t wake up one day perfect at anything we do. But we keep showing up, and we keep practicing. We practice again, and again, and again. Some days we’re great, and some days not so great, but what matters is that we keep practicing. We keep going. We keep trying.
I offer a breath exercise that you can practice. For me, finding my breath is a way to find the present moment and fast! A breath practice is also a practice of mindfulness of our thoughts and senses. Being with breath, we can intentionally have awareness of sensations in our body, the chatter in our mind, and then mindfully and intentionally practice releasing the thoughts and sensations to come back to the awareness of our breath.
I’ve chosen this breath practice because of it’s ease and simplicity to remember the same breath count. You can do this practice anywhere from sitting down at home to waiting in line at the grocery store or at a red light.
Start by observing your breath. Take a big inhale through your nose and a big exhale out through your mouth. And then follow these steps:
Naturally breathe in and out through your nose only
At the start of your next inhale, breath in to a slow count of four
Pause at the top, retaining your in-breath for four counts
Exhale out through your nose to a count of four
Pause at the bottom, retaining your out-breath for four counts
Repeat five times or as necessary
The four-count is merely a suggestion here. Maybe you start with three or go up to six. Maybe, as the meditation goes on, you adjust your count. What’s important here is not the count number, but just keeping that number consistent through each cycle. After a couple of rounds, you may find that your breath is more smooth and calm — and that you are, too.
You keep meditating if you’re calm or if you’re stressed, even when your mind is wandering your entire meditation. You keep practicing.
I hope these meditations have helped you in some small way, even if it was one 10-minute session that made you feel relaxed and calm. Be gentle with yourself and proud of every small win with your well-being.
Rebecca Zacarias
Creative Life Coach
Creative Soul Care, LLC Founder