Basic Breathing Awareness Practice
Most people go through their whole day without paying any attention to their breath. It's always there and always working, from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep, yet it goes completely unnoticed. This lesson is about changing that.
Before you learn any breathing technique, you need to learn how to simply notice your breath, and that's all this practice is. You won't count, hold, or change anything yet. Your only job is to pay attention to your breathing.
Why Noticing Comes First
Think about your very first driving lesson. You didn't pull out onto the highway right away. Before the car ever moved, you adjusted your seat and your mirrors, found the gas pedal and the brake, and got to know how everything in the car worked. Noticing your breath is that first step, because before you start changing how you breathe, you need to know how your breath already works.
Noticing your breathing now also trains your breath to become an anchor, something you can always come back to no matter how far your mind has drifted. Your breath is always happening right now. It can only happen in the present moment, so every time you bring your attention back to it, you bring yourself back to the present too. That's the foundation of every breathing technique you'll ever learn, so get comfortable here first, and the techniques that come later will be a lot easier to use.
What to Notice
When you sit down to notice your breath, you let it move the way it already does. You aren't slowing it down, deepening it, or breathing in any special way. You're simply watching it, the way you'd watch waves roll onto a beach.
Here are the things to pay attention to as you breathe.
Your Breath Checklist
The air. Feel the air coming in through your nose and leaving through your nose. You might notice that it feels a little cooler coming in and a little warmer going out.
Where it moves. Notice whether your chest rises or your abdomen rises as you breathe in.
Depth. Notice whether your breath feels shallow, high up in your chest, or deep, down low in your abdomen.
Speed. Notice whether your breath feels fast or slow.
There's no right or wrong answer to any of these. Whatever your breath is doing today is simply your starting point, and your only job is to observe it.
When Your Mind Wanders
Within a few breaths, your mind is going to wander to something else entirely. You might start thinking about what you're making for dinner, a text you need to answer, or an itch on your arm. That's completely normal, and it happens to everyone.
When you notice that your mind has wandered, simply bring your attention back to your breathing. That simple act of noticing your breath, losing it, and finding it again is exactly what this lesson is about. Every time you come back, you're training your mind the same way a rep at the gym trains a muscle.
Three Ways to Notice Your Breath
Everyone learns a little differently, so try each of these and see which one helps you connect with your breath the most.
Feel it. Rest one hand on your chest and the other hand on your abdomen. Feel which hand moves more as you breathe.
Hear it. Listen to the quiet sound of the air moving in and out of your nose.
See it. Keep your eyes open and look down at your hands, watching them rise and fall with each breath.
Try It Now
Find a comfortable seat with your spine upright and your shoulders relaxed.
Close your eyes and breathe normally, letting your breath move the way it already does.
Notice the air coming in through your nose and leaving through your nose.
Feel whether your chest rises and falls.
Notice if your breath is shallow or deep, fast or slow.
When your mind wanders, simply come back to your breath.
Do this for two to three minutes and just observe.
Count Your Breaths
Most adults take somewhere between 12 and 20 breaths per minute while they're resting. Write your number down, because as you practice the techniques in this course, you'll likely see that number drop as your breathing becomes slower and calmer.
Here's one simple way to measure your breath. Set a timer for one minute and count every full breath you take, counting one breath in and one breath out as one breath. Keep breathing normally while you count.
Check In With Yourself
After each practice, take a moment to answer these questions. Write your answers in a breath log so you can look back and see how your breath changes over time.
Did your chest or your abdomen move more?
Did your breath feel shallow or deep, fast or slow?
How many breaths did you take in one minute?
About how many times did your mind wander, and how quickly did you notice?
Your Goal
Your goal for this lesson is simple: notice how you breathe right now. Pay attention to where your breath moves, how deep it goes, and how fast it feels, and let it stay exactly as it is. Once you know how you breathe today, you have a clear starting point for every technique that comes next.