Guided Breath Awareness

A change of pace to bring you something a different: a short, guided breathing practice!

If you had asked me a few years ago if I would ever teach meditation I would have given a resounding, "Of course not". However, when the demand for meditation classes boomed at my wellness job and we needed more instructors, I reluctantly put up my hand. I rolled my eyes thinking, "What silliness am I getting myself into?" Meditation was for hippies and Buddhist monks. It was not for a career-focused, academic, left-brainer like me.

The beginning was a bit rocky. Initially while teaching I caught myself thinking, "This is ridiculous. I can't believe I'm standing in a prestigious hospital pretending we're going to the beach". How in the world was I going to fill 25 minutes of time with our eyes closed in a dark room?

With a lot of practice and an open mind, I learned to really enjoy leading meditations! In the beginning, it helped to take the approach of a child using his or her imagination. While I couldn't actually feel breath going into every cell in my body, biology told me the oxygen I breathe in does certainly go to every cell. This enabled me to imagine breath nourishing each cell. Eventually, even 25 minutes wasn't enough time.

While the video below runs for 7 minutes, the guided portion ends after 4 minutes, so don't let time stop you from giving it a go. This is a great introduction for those who have never tried guided breathing or meditation before, but even veterans should enjoy returning to the basics.