Nitya Meditation 05: Anchoring the breath

Picture credit: Deeksha Kumar

  1. The breath is always with us till we are alive. You don’t need an app or a set of beads or a mantra to be mindful. Agreed, these things help your mind to stay calm in one place. But the best anchor is the breath. Once you begin to notice your breath it becomes easy to observe your thoughts, emotions and physical pain.

  2. The breath is a great sign of the status of our mind. When all is well, the breath is calm and deep. You might have noticed when you are angry, excited or upset, the breath falters or becomes heavy. Thus, it is an indicator of how we are at a given time.

  3. In the beginning you might need to make an effort to bring your attention from the thought back to the breath. But with practice you can watch your thoughts or emotion without getting carried away by them

So, when confronted with something unexpected or something confusing it makes sense to notice the breath. And when you notice the breath it calms down. Then you have the power to choose the right rational response to make in such situations.

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