A 3-breath meditation for a more mindful day

I want to feel empowered in my own skin. Be strong. Loving. Patient. Wise. But I lose my mind and/or channel Oscar the Grouch with frustrating frequency.

Maybe you can relate.

In a world full of obligations, distractions, and irritations, it can be almost impossible to stay centered and mindful. Sure, I could probably be the best version of myself more often if I didn’t have to juggle work, family, bills, appointments, health issues, a constant desire to eat…

Suffice it to say, life is exciting, and challenging. It can be easy to lose ourselves in the midst of it all.

That’s where meditation can be quite helpful. Increasing mental discipline has all kinds of benefits. The fact that you’re reading this means you already know it’s good for physical health, relationships, focus, sanity, etc. Even short sessions cultivate mindfulness, foster a more peaceful mindset and help us realign. But despite all that, few people actually stick to a regular practice.

Enter this three-breath meditation. Best use cases:

To lead into a longer meditation. It’s great to go past three mindful breaths when you can, but I want to be clear — this article is primarily about weaving more mindfulness into your day, not reiterating the common false belief that you’re not doing enough. Don’t feel bad for calling it quits after exhale No. 3.

When your stress level is rising. Before flipping a table, try this.

If you’re bored. Whether at the pump, in line at the post office, or taking an extended bathroom break, before cruising Instagram and checking out, check in.

So, without further ado, here’s the practice.

Breath 1. Slowly inhale and focus attention from your heart and up (this includes hands and arms). Feel for sensation in this upper part of your body.

Hold your breath at the top to fully tap into that sensation.

Slowly exhale and feel all those areas relax.

Pause after the breath out to soften even more.

Breath 2. Slowly inhale and focus on any sensation you can detect from your heart down to your low belly.

Pause at the top to feel the area enlarged with breath.

Slowly exhale and feel this space soften. Pause briefly after the breath out and let go of tension even more.

Breath 3. Slowly breathe in and feel from your hips down through your pelvic floor. Pause at the top to take it in for a moment longer.

Slowly exhale and feel tension releasing from that space, down through your legs.

Pause and feel your feet grounded into the floor (or whatever part of your body is rooted).

Return to normal breath (or ideally let the next few cycles be a little deeper than usual) and maybe tell yourself something kind or encouraging.

Lately I’ve been using the affirmation “life supports me in every possible way.” Sometimes I just say, “thank you,” to express gratitude for the moment.

You may not reach nirvana doing this exercise, but it’s a great tool for adding mindful pauses (chances to settle and re-center) to daily life.

Apply the technique liberally throughout your day. Sometimes it will immediately shift your experience and perspective. Either way, trust that merely remembering to do the practice requires mindfulness, and even a slight bump in that department has subtly positive effects that continue to build over time.

Of course, it won’t end all departures to the dark side. That hasn’t happened for me, yet. But I do recover from those inevitable blips more quickly. I hope it helps you, too.