Breathing Technique to Calm and Focus in Times of Stress

The Art of Calming 

What's Happening in Your Life at this Moment?

💓What are you dealing with that has you stressed or hyped? Could you use a simple breathing technique to calm you?

💙Do you need a way to center yourself so you can calmly prepare for an exam?

💚Do you need to calm yourself to prepare for a difficult treatment, like cancer, or as you recover from open heart surgery or a heart attack?

💜Do you need to focus and calm yourself as you seek work?

💛Are you dealing with the aftermath of a divorce, loss of a loved one, or major disaster?

Using What Works to Calm You

Calm, quiet, and focused attention--these are the things we need to get through times of upheaval.  

When times of trouble or high stress show up we need to put calming techniques to use that we otherwise might keep packed away. And the simpler the technique is to apply, the more likely we are to use it.

Sharing What Works for You

Paying it Forward 

Some of the best ideas come from others who pass on their favorite tips for getting through difficult times.  Today's breathing technique is one that my friend Stephanie, a survivor of breast cancer, shared.

'Do you know Jon Kabat-Zinn?', Stephanie asked. 'I used one of his meditation techniques--'This Moment;This Breath'--out of his book Full Catastrophe Living to get through the stress and discomfort of my cancer treatments. I found it so effective for calming and focusing me I now share it with my hand therapy patients to help them alleviate the pain and fear of their treatment.'

This Moment~This Breath Meditation

The beauty of this technique is you can pull it out and use it the moment you need to calm and focus yourself—no matter where you are and no matter what is going on causing you stress and suffering. 

You can use it when you're having difficulty shutting your mind off after going to  bed to help you fall asleep. Or you can use it when you need a moment to calm yourself during or after a difficult event.

When you practice this simple breathing technique it will take your mind off focusing on the past or future--where your fear and anxieties originate-- into being in the moment--This Moment.

💓As you INHALE think: 'This Moment';

💓As you EXHALE think: 'This Breath'

"The river taught him how to listen~

How to listen with a quiet heart

And a waiting soul, open soul,

Without passion, without desire,

without judgment, without opinion."

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Listen with a Quiet Heart

Choose to live in ‘This Moment’ through adopting this simple meditation to quell your fears and anxiety. Let yourself breath into ‘listening with a quiet heart—while developing a waiting and open soul’. 

Resource Recommendation

  

‘This Moment~This Breath’ mindfulness technique comes from Jon Kabat-Zinn's Book 'Full Catastrophe Living—Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain and illness'. I highly recommend this book to you (Stephanie's recommendation!)

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For more than 35 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes letting go and moving forward with life easier than ever before.


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