Three Breaths Mindfulness Technique
One practical and effective mindfulness technique is “Three Breaths.” This simple short practice can be done by any worker in any work environment from a server during a busy restaurant shift to an office worker to someone working on a construction site. This simple yet powerful practice can be done in as short as 20-30 seconds and, as the name suggests, just three breaths! It can be done alone as an individual practice or in a group as a group practice. You can keep your eyes open or close them as the space and setting allows. I always encourage people to take really deep, full breaths, feeling the breath fill up the stomach and chest which serves to calm the nervous system — an important aspect of this practice. If you take only short fast breaths, it’s not as effective. Of course, this depends on your situation and shorter breaths are better than no breaths! The practice focuses the mind, relaxes the body and engages our nervous system and emotional intelligence to guide what to do next. It can be done over and over during the day and is particularly helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed as happens to all of us from time to time. This practice enables us to find focus and ‘what’s important now.’
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