in addition to my regular sitting meditation practice, i have a simple and short practice i use in moments of stress or heightened energy, when i’d like to come back to my body and mind and remain calm. the practice can be done just about anywhere and at any time. no requirement to sit, you can be standing, walking, lying down, eyes closed or open.

although the practice can be beneficial even if done on its own, it also has way of tapping into the energy of mindfulness cultivated in a regular sitting meditation practice if we have one.

the practice is inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching style, using short phrases paired with mindful breathing. i shared this practice with my mom as she went through tests, scans, and radiation for cancer. the practice was beneficial for her and i hope it can be for you as well.

breathing in mindfully, say to yourself:

CALM BODY

breathing out mindfully, say to yourself:

CALM MIND

as we breathe in, we are taking care of our body, we are aware of our breath, feeling the oxygen filled air come into our body, giving our body what it needs to be calm at at ease.

as we breathe out, we release the air and let it go out of the body. at the same time we let go of the air in our lungs, we can release our grasp of thoughts, letting go of our thoughts, our worries, our stress, our anger, our fear. by letting go of these, we are allowing space for a calm mind.

(breathing in)

CALM BODY

(breathing out)

CALM MIND

~j

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