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Simple Centering Breathing Exercise

This simple, centering breathing exercise incorporates and combines some of the previous breathing techniques. It is suitable for novice and experienced practitioners, and everyone in between.
This exercise can be done by anyone, nearly any time, and in a large variety of places, circumstances, and surroundings. It can be used as a starting point for other meditations, a simple meditation on its own, or simply as a quick way to center, calm, or refocus yourself when you need to. A short version of this exercise, ideal for when you don't have more than a few seconds, but really need to refocus and center, is available here.

As with all the meditations found on this site, you should read all the way through the page at least once before you try to do the meditation.

Before You start:

• Turn off any unnecessary, extra noise generating items, such as the radio or television, if you can, or consider using headphones with relaxing music and/or sounds, or, better still, the guided meditation track for this meditation.
If there is music or television or other such things that other people are using, don't worry about it.

• Switch your phone's ringer and other notifications to silent or DND mode.

• If using incense, candles, music, etc, now is the time to light/start them.

• If you are going to be using the guided meditation, you should start the track at this point, after you have read through the page once (or re-start it, if you have paused it to read this page).
Remember to make sure there is nothing else on your playlist that might jar you out of your relaxed state after the guided meditation track ends.
The guided meditation will take you through the rest.

• Find a place to get comfortable. Is best to sit, cross legged, in lotus or modified lotus position or lie down flat on you back, on the floor (use a mat or cushion if needed).
If you are mobility impaired, have circulatory problems which preclude sitting or lying on the floor, or are somewhere where sitting on the floor isn't an option, a bed, couch, bench, or chair is fine.
If you are using a chair or bench that doesn't facilitate sitting cross legged, or if other issues prevent such positions, place your feet flat on the floor or a stool, so that your knees are bent at a ninety degree angle, or as close to it as possible.

• Sit or lie with your back straight, tilting your head up/back slightly and tucking in your chin so that your neck and spine are aligned.

• Place your hands in a comfortable, relaxed position (on your lap if sitting, at your sides if lying down) with your palms up/exposed. They will probably naturally tilt inward, with your hands slightly cupped. This is fine. Do not force your hands into a a more open or flat position - just let them rest naturally. If desired, gently touch your index finger and thumb on each hand to one another, as in standard lotus pose.

• If you have done this meditation before, and do not need the introductory instructions on the track, feel free to use the no intro version.

Now you are ready to begin...

The guided meditation track uses a chime to begin this meditation, as well as most of the meditations in this series. Eventually, you may find that the chime sound alone is enough to put you into a trance, or meditative state.

• Begin by simply focusing on your breath for a moment, counting each breath and and observing your natural inhalation and exhalation without changing anything. Notice whether you are breathing through your nose or your mouth, quickly or slowly, deep or shallow breaths.
If you find yourself becoming distracted by random thoughts, try not to engage in them. Just notice them and then let them go, bringing your attention back to your breath. Do this for five breaths.

• Next, take a deep, cleansing breath in through your nose, and blow it out through your mouth. The inhale should be as deep as you can make it, and the exhale should be somewhat forceful, as though blowing out several candles at once.

• Take another cleansing breath, closing your eyes on the inhale this time, and keeping them closed for the duration of the meditation.

• Begin breathing in and out though your nose, in slow, deep, steady breaths, counting each breath.

• Focus on each breath, feeling the air as it passes through your nostrils, slowly expanding and contracting your abdomen.

• Continue for a count of at least ten breaths, until you feel calm, centered, and relaxed.

• If you are using the exercise as a starting point for another meditation or practise, continue to that exercise. Otherwise, go to the next step.

• When you are ready to return to "reality", take two cleansing breaths, opening your eyes on the inhale of the second breath.

• Enjoy the rest of your day, and feel free to return your thoughts to your breathing and take a few concious breaths, or do the short version of this practise any time you need a quick return to a calm, centered space.

~ 🎼 🎶 🎶 🎶 ~ The guided meditation track, itself, is protected under copyright and may not be reused without express consent. Backing tracks, arranged by Khaos WolfKat, include Enchanted journey, composed by Kevin MacLeod, provided by incompetech.com, under a Creative Commons License. See links for additional reuse information.
~ 🎼 🎶 🎶 🎶 ~