9 Quick and Easy Mindfulness Practices Coyalita America Our People

9 Quick and Easy Mindfulness Practices

Breath Counting

9 Quick and Easy Mindfulness Practices – Breath Counting – The goal of this exercise is again to pay attention to the breath. How can you pay attention to the breath?

You can pay attention to the breath by feeling the breath.

Counting the breath can also help, pay attention to breathing.

Do this at least for a minute. It can be done longer if needed.

While inhaling count from 1 up to 3

While exhaling count from 1 up to 6

Compared to your normal breathing you want to slow down a bit.

More importantly, try to have a relatively longer out-breath compared to the in-breath.

Inhalation excites vagus nerve and increases heart rate and blood pressure.

Exhalation relaxes vagus nerve, which decreases heart rate and blood pressure.

Optimize the breath by short inhalation & long exhalation.

If you wander and start thinking, there is nothing wrong with it!

If and when you realize you are having wandering thoughts, you just let those thoughts be and gently bring yourself back to breath counting!

If inhale to exhale count ratio of 3:6 is not working, you can change it.

Keep exhale count at least two longer than the inhale.

You can insert breaths without counting in between if you like.

Fit counting into the breathing cycle, not vice versa.

Repeat

Breath Labeling

Rather than counting you can pay attention to breathing via labeling.
One more way of paying attention to the breath.

Slower than normal breathing is helpful.

See if you can do this for at least a minute. Can be done longer if needed.

While breathing in you can say to yourself ‘IN’ using the mental voice.

While breathing out say ‘OUT’, again using mental voice.

Keeping the out breath longer than the in breath can be helpful.

You can insert breaths without counting in between if you like.

If you find yourself lost in thoughts, no problems, restarting labelling if and when you notice you are lost in thoughts.

9 Quick and Easy Mindfulness Practices