Jane O’Rourke – 3 Minute Breathing Space

Hello, my name is Jane O’Rourke. I’m a Child, Adolescent and Family Psychotherapist, and I’m a yoga and mindfulness teacher.

So, come to a sitting posture, where you can find your sit bones on whatever you are sitting on, whether it is a chair or a cushion, so you can sit nice and tall, so a strong erect spine. And if possible closing your eyes or just lowering your gaze.

And then start to bring your awareness to your inner experience. So this is like an internal weather check, so asking yourself what’s your experience in this moment… what thoughts are coming up for you… perhaps even putting it into words, what your thoughts are and acknowledging what feelings there are here in this moment. And in this way we are turning towards whatever it is that we are feeling, so any sense of discomfort or unpleasantness, and maybe some pleasant thoughts too, just acknowledging whatever it is you are experiencing right now. And then what body sensations are here right now, perhaps just scanning through the body, picking up any sensations of tightness or discomfort, just acknowledging your experience.

And then just starting to direct your attention to the breath, focusing on the physical sensations of the breath itself… moving in to the sense of the breath in your abdomen, noticing the contraction of the breath and the out breath and the expansion of the abdomen on the in breath. And in this way we are using the breath as an anchor to the present moment. A smooth in breath, a smooth out breath.

And now expanding your awareness to the whole body, perhaps imagining in your mind’s eye your body here, your posture, noticing your facial expression, and if you become aware of any difficult sensations, breathing in, on the in breath to any discomfort, and breathing out on the out breath, a releasing and letting go.

And then whenever you are reading, coming back into the room in your own time.