FREE GUIDED MINDFULNESS PRACTICE

About the 3-Step Breathing Space

The 3-Step Breathing Space is a brief practice designed to be brought into everyday life. Through three movements of attention, you'll acknowledge your experience as it is, gather your attention around a chosen anchor, and then widen your attention through the body.

You don't need to feel stressed or overwhelmed to practice, and you don't need to use the practice to try to change how you feel. Think of it as a few moments to notice the experience you're already having.

Common Experiences

There's no particular way the 3-Step Breathing Space is supposed to feel, and each time you practice may be different.

Creating a particular experience isn't the goal; the practice is noticing the experience you're actually having without needing it to change, creating more opportunity to choose how you respond.

With that in mind, you might notice:

• Your mind keeps wandering. That's normal. Noticing that your attention has wandered is part of the practice. When you notice, you can gently return your attention back to where you last left off.
• You don't know what you're noticing. You don't need to find the right word or figure anything out. Uncertainty can be noticed, too.
• You don't notice much in your body. Some sensations may be obvious, others faint, and sometimes you may notice very little at all.
• You notice more, not less. Pausing can make thoughts, emotions, or sensations more noticeable, including experiences that are uncomfortable or difficult.
• You feel calm, settled, or relaxed. That can happen, too. Notice these experiences when they're here, just as you would any other experience.
• You want to move, adjust, or stop. You can. The guidance is an invitation, and you're always an active participant in how you practice. You are the expert of your own experience. 

Whatever shows up, you don't need to decide whether it means the practice worked. And if you find yourself thinking, Did that work? or Am I doing this right?, those are thoughts you can notice, too. What is it like to simply notice them rather than needing to answer them?

When might you use the 3-Step Breathing Space?

You can practice the 3-Step Breathing Space at any point in your day. You don't need to wait until something is wrong.

You might use it:

• When something is difficult: before a challenging conversation, when you're feeling overwhelmed, or when you notice yourself caught in worry or frustration.
• During a transition: before starting work, after arriving home, between meetings, or before moving on to the next thing.
• When something is going well: after receiving good news, while enjoying time with someone you care about, or when you notice a moment you'd like to experience more fully.
• When you're moving on autopilot: when you've been scrolling, rushing, or going through the motions and suddenly realize you haven't been very present.
• For no particular reason: simply as a way to pause and notice what your experience is like right now.

The practice isn't about changing the moment that's here. It's simply a way of arriving more fully in the one you're already having.