Change your life with this 3-step mindfulness exercise

I’m going to take you through a mindfulness exercise so you can practice and have this for use at home.

What I’d like you to do is get into a nice, comfortable place either sitting, ideally if you’re laying down. If you’re sitting, have that imaginary string that goes from the ceiling all the way down through the spine so you have this nice, gentle support.

If you can use your attention that your backbone is the center of your being and whatever you’re sitting on to allow the backbone, in your chair, your sofa, or your bed to support you. A lot of times we manage way too much and we don’t have to. You can use those two tools in order to let down and let go.

Now what I’d like you to do is just notice the breath, how it flows in, expands the lungs and flows out. You can self‑focus or shut your eyes as I continue. Your mind will wander. Go ahead and notice the breath come back to it again and again.

What we’re doing is we’re resting our mind on the breath. I’d like you to be really curious, curious about how the breath flows in through your nose, expands the lungs, and comes back out through the nose.

As you do that, your mind will wander because you’re human. You can’t get this wrong, but notice when it wanders and rest your mind on the breath. You could say to yourself, “I’m now breathing in, I’m gently holding, I’m now breathing out,” as a way to stay mindful of the breath.”

Some people count four in, four hold, and four out. Just notice and do that, and it will come back in.

[pause]

Nice. As you rest your mind on the breath what I’d like you to do is use your imagination and imagine that you’re breathing in pure relaxation as it comes in through the body, into the lungs.

That a pure relaxation goes over to the heart, and then the heart and blood take it all the way down to touch every cell, every pore, every system, and every organ of your body so that the relaxation illuminates your whole being.

Then, there’s an exchange of carbon dioxide that using your imagination I’d like you to release any stressors, any pain, any illness, any judgment. As that relieves and goes into the bloodstream and comes back up into the heart, exchanges over into the lungs.

As you release your breath, you’re breathing out all the stress of the morning, the week, and the month. You can now say to yourself, “I’m breathing in pure relaxation, allowing it to touch every cell in my body. I’m breathing out all the stress of the morning, the week, and the month.”

With each inhalation and each exhalation, you’re becoming more and more relaxed, more and more mindful of this life giving breath. One that you don’t need to think about, just do and be aware.

Nice. Good job. As you do that, just notice, become aware, allow the tools to support you, your backbone and the chair, sofa or bedding that you’re lying on. When your mind wanders, that’s the mindfulness practice, just notice.

It might be two minutes, it may be two seconds when it wanders away. When it does, come back to the breath and the steady flow of it coming in, expanding the lungs and coming out.

We’re going to tap back into the parasympathetic nervous system a little bit more by dropping our jaw and loosening our tongue so as you breathe in that pure relaxation, allow it to expand in you body and illuminate it.

As you breathe out, breathe out through the dropped jaw and loosened tongue, releasing the breath, releasing a slow and steady stream beginning, middle, and end, and releasing it all the way so the next inhalation has a place to go.

I’m now breathing in pure relaxation, allowing it to touch every cell and illuminate my body through the dropped jaw and loosened tongue I’m releasing all the stress of the morning, the week, and the month.

Go ahead and practice that and then I’ll come back in.

Nice. Now we’ll bring awareness back into the room that you’re in or the place that you’re in. First, by listening to the sounds inside the room or outside the room or if you’re outside, around you. Just listen.

Notice the aroma that comes through your nose even if there is none. None is an aroma. Notice the taste in your mouth, even if there is none. None is a taste. Notice whatever’s at your fingertips even if it’s your other hand. Notice the texture, the temperature, the quality of the touch, and notice the pressure points of your body on the chair, sofa, or bedding that you’re lying on.

Follow that breath in, expansion and out. Nice. And again, expansion and out. With this next exhalation, go ahead and flutter open, refocus your eyes into the area that you’re in, whether it’s a room or outside.

What I’d like you to do, I’d like you to turn your chin and neck so we we can engage that brain stem. I want you to notice where you are in relationship to the four corners of the room or the things around you. I’m noticing where I am in relationship to the trees and the sounds around me, the buildings.

I want you to turn your chin and neck up, look at the ceiling. In my case, the sky. Notice where you are in relationship to the ceiling or the sky. Turning your chin and neck down at the floor, the ground below you, looking and being real curious with new kid eyes as if you’ve never been here before.

If you have a doorway, turn your chin and neck and look at the doorway. That’s your exit out. That’s a calming factor for you. Nice.

If you’re with other people, you can turn your chin and neck and notice where you are in relationship to each person in the room or the surroundings. That’s your mindfulness exercise.

If you do that once every day, just something simple like that, you’ll notice things start to change for you — your brain will, your being will, how you look at life. Also, it’s nice to relax the body, as well.