3 Deep Breaths

The average person takes approximately 22,000 breaths per day!?Many of us go our whole lives with zero relationship to the one thing that gives us life – our breath. The very first thing we did when we came into this world is take an inhale and the very last thing we will do when we leave this world is take an exhale. In between that first inhale and that last exhale lies the life we live.

Over the last 6 months, my life has been a whirlwind of blessings, beauty, and busyness. I feel grateful that I am engaged to a wonderful soul, we just purchased our first home, we get married in August, and are expecting twin boys in November. I am also EXTREMELY?stressed, and there are moments throughout the day where my mind wanders into the land of what-ifs and it is deeply challenging to pull it back into the present.

I recently stumbled upon a breathing practice in a book entitled How to Be Sick by Toni Bernhard . This practice supports one in grounding down and teleports one out of their thinking brain and into the body, the present moment. What’s more, this practice takes less than 60 seconds to experience the empowering effects.

Here’s how it works:?whatever you’re doing at any moment, switch your attention to the physical sensation of three deep in-breaths through the nose and three deep out-breaths through the mouth. That’s all there is to it!

This is a simple, AND powerful practice, and it only takes a few seconds. Some benefits include:

1. Bringing you into the present moment:?This three-breath practice grounds you in your body, which brings your attention to what’s going on right now in your life, because your body is always in the present moment. Most of us spend a lot of time unaware that we are lost in thoughts – often stressful and judgmental ones. They may be about the past or about the future, or they may even be a running commentary on our present-moment experience.
2. Eliminating Mental Chatter:?Three-breath practice delicately carries you into the present moment and, by doing so, provides healing relief from all the mental chatter. Because I don’t seem to be able to control the scenarios my mind bakes up whenever it pleases, some days, it feels like this three-breath practice is the only thing that keeps me clearheaded and balanced!
3. Transforming Reactions into Responses:?When you find yourself in a difficult or adverse situation where you might react impulsively and later regret it, intentionally switching your attention to three conscious breaths gives you the time and space to reflect before speaking or acting, thus enabling a Response. This makes it much more likely that you’ll Respond in a skillful way to whatever situation you’re facing.
4. Slowing You Down:?Engaging in this practice allows us to stop when we are doing too much. When you suspect that you're overdoing it and ignoring your body's signals to rest, stop, and take three conscious breaths. This switches your attention to your body and enables you to realize that you've been doing too much as a way of distracting yourself from unpleasant physical sensations. With this in mind, try reflecting with self-compassion on those sensations: "This is what anxiety feels like", "this is what pain feels like", "this is what sickness feels like." Then, instead of resuming that distracting activity, focus on self-care by resting!

I hope the implementation of this beautifully simple practice provides you peace, balance, and equanimity.

Namaste, friends!