Soothing Rhythm Breathing - 1
“Find a quiet place to sit. Take a moment to embody a grounded, confident and upright posture, with your feet on the floor at shoulders width, your spine upright and shoulders slightly back and chest open (10 secs)
Bring your head in to an upright position, and gently bring a friendly expression to your face. When you feel ready, bring your attention to your breathing in a mindful way (10 secs).
Notice the sensations that are present as you breathe in and out, and when your attention becomes distracted, bring it back to focus on your breath in a gentle and kind way.
Now, as you’re gently holding your attention in the flow of your breath, see if you can find a soothing or calming breathing rhythm. Take some time to experiment with this – to explore what your breathing rhythm would be like if it had a soothing or calming quality to it. It may be that this rhythm is a slower and deeper rhythm that usual, but one that feels comfortable to your body. If you can, try to breathe in a smooth, even way (20 secs)
If you notice your attention moving away from your breath, or that you become distracted in any way, gently bring your attention back to your breath and tune back in to the calming or soothing quality of your breathing rhythm (60 secs)
As you continue, see if you can imagine a sense of ‘slowing down’ in your body as you breathe out (30 seconds)
It can also be helpful to notice your body feeling a little heavier, as you breathe out, whilst your legs are support by the chair and feet grounded on the floor (10 secs)
Continue practising this breathing rhythm for another five minutes or so, mindfully noticing when your awareness is distracted from this focus, and gently bringing your attention back to rest in the flow of your soothing breathing rhythm
When you feel ready, open your eyes and bring yourself back in to the room. “
These exercises and practices have all been adapted from the wonderful work of Paul Gilbert – find out more at www.compassiontemind.co.uk