Highland Mindfulness Group

THE THREE-MINUTE BREATHING SPACE

At various times during the day, see if it is possible to step out of “automatic pilot” for 3 minutes or so.

The 3 minute breathing space practice (7 minute recording as a guide to the practice) recorded by Peter Wilkes.

The 3 minute coping space recorded by Rona MacKenzie (6 minutes in total).

The Coping Space (6 minutes in total) – recorded by Peter Wilkes.

Coping space (15 minutes) – meditation practice with instruction on how we can use coping space techniques to help us deal with whatever arises into our awareness.

1. AWARENESS OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE BODY AND THE MIND?

Find a place where you won’t be disturbed. Sit down, straighten your spine and generally relax your body.

With your eyes either open or closed, silently ask yourself:

“What is my experience right now … in thoughts … in feelings … and in bodily sensations?”

Scan your body for tension if you wish whilst becoming aware of what is happening in the mind.

2. GATHERING EVERYTHING TO THE BREATH.

Recognise and acknowledge your experience, even if it is unwanted.

Then gently redirect full attention to the breathing, to each in breath and to each out breath as they follow, one after the other. Try noting in the back of your mind: “Breathing in … breathing out” or counting the breaths.

Do this for one or two minutes as best as you can, using breathing as an anchor to help you remain in the present and help you tune into a state of awareness and stillness.

3. OPENING OUT AND LETTING GO.

Open the field of your awareness around your breathing, so that it includes a sense of the body as a whole, your posture and facial expression.

Allow your attention to expand to the whole body including any sense of discomfort, tension, or resistance. Then breathe out, softening, opening and letting go with the out breath. If you wish, you can say to yourself on the out breath “It’s OK. Whatever it is, it’s OK. Let me feel it. I can let it go”

As best you can, bring this expanded awareness to the next moments of your day.

Please feel free to adapt this process to whatever seems to suit you best at present.