This practice is part of the
Time Required
5 minutes daily for at least a week (though evidence suggests that mindfulness increases the more you practice it).
How to Do It
The most basic way to do mindful breathing is to focus your attention on your breath, the inhale and exhale. You can do this while standing, but ideally you’ll be sitting or even lying in a comfortable position. Your eyes may be open or closed, or you can maintain a soft gaze, with your eyes partially closed but not focusing on anything in particular. It can help to set aside a designated time for this exercise, but it can also help to practice it when you’re feeling particularly stressed or anxious. Experts believe a regular practice of mindful breathing can make it easier to do in difficult situations.
Sometimes, especially when trying to calm yourself in a stressful moment, it might help to start by taking an exaggerated breath: a deep inhale through your nostrils (3 seconds), hold your breath (2 seconds), and a long exhale through your mouth (4 seconds). Otherwise, observe each breath without trying to adjust it; it may help to focus on the rise and fall of your chest or the sensation through your nostrils. As you do so, you may find that your mind wanders, distracted by thoughts or bodily sensations. That’s OK. You can notice that this is happening and try to gently bring your attention back to your breath.
To provide even more structure, and help you lead this practice for others, below are steps for a short guided meditation. You can listen to audio of this guided meditation, produced by UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC), in the player below; if it doesn't play, you can find it here or download it from MARC's website.
- Please find a relaxed, comfortable position. You could be seated on a chair or on the floor on a cushion. Try to keep your back upright, but not too tight. Hands resting wherever they’re comfortable. Tongue on the roof of your mouth or wherever it’s comfortable.
- Notice and invite your body to relax. Let yourself relax and become curious about your body seated here—the sensations it experiences, the touch, the connection with the floor or the chair. Do your best to relax any areas of tightness or tension. Breathe.
- Tune into the rhythm of your breath. You can feel the natural flow of breath—in, out. You don’t need to do anything to your breath. Not long, not short, but natural. Notice where you feel your breath in your body. It might be in your abdomen. It may be in your chest or throat or in your nostrils. See if you can feel the sensations of breath, one breath at a time. When one breath ends, the next breath begins. If you are not able to notice the breath in all areas of the body, that is OK. We are more connected to certain areas of the body than others, at different times of the day.
- Now as you do this, you might notice that your mind may start to wander. You may start thinking about other things. If this happens, it is not a problem. It's very natural. Try to notice that your mind has wandered. You can say “thinking” or “wandering” in your head softly. And then gently redirect your attention right back to the breathing.
- Stay here for five to seven minutes. Notice your breath, in silence. From time to time, you’ll get lost in thought, then return to your breath.
- After a few minutes, once again notice your body, your whole body, seated here. Let yourself relax even more deeply and then, if it is available, please offer yourself some appreciation for doing this practice today.
Why You Should Try It
Stress, anger, and anxiety can impair not only our health but our judgment and skills of attention. One way to help deal with these difficult feelings is the practice of "mindfulness,” the ability to pay careful attention to what you're thinking, feeling, and sensing in the present moment without judging those thoughts and feelings as good or bad. Countless studies link mindfulness to better health, lower anxiety, and greater resilience to stress.
But how do you cultivate mindfulness? A basic method is to focus your attention on your own breathing—a practice called, quite simply, "mindful breathing." After setting aside time to practice mindful breathing, you may find it easier to focus attention on your breath in your daily life—an important skill to help you deal with stress, anxiety, and negative emotions, cool yourself down when your temper flares, and sharpen your skills of concentration.
Why It Works
Mindfulness gives us distance from our thoughts and feelings, which can help us tolerate and work through unpleasant feelings rather than becoming overwhelmed by them. Mindful breathing in particular is helpful because it gives us an anchor—our breath—on which we can focus when we find ourselves carried away by a stressful thought. Mindful breathing can also help us stay “present” in the moment, rather than being distracted by regrets in the past or worries about the future.
Evidence That It Works
Arch, J. J., & Craske, M. G. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness: Emotion regulation following a focused breathing induction. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(12), 1849-1858.
Americans who completed a 15-minute focused breathing exercise (similar to Mindful Breathing) reported less negative emotion in response to negative images, compared with people who didn’t complete the exercise. These results suggest that focused breathing helped improve people’s ability to regulate their emotions.
Who Has Tried the Practice?
The participants in the above study were mostly female and Asian or white. Additional research has engaged members of other groups:
- Chinese adults decreased in anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, and stress biomarkers after five days of 20-minute meditations that included exercises similar to Mindful Breathing and the Body Scan.
- Japanese university students who practiced this exercise and the Body Scan for five to 10 minutes at least once a day for a week ruminated less on anger immediately after the intervention and four weeks later.
- Malaysian palliative caregivers significantly decreased in stress biomarkers after only 20 minutes of Mindful Breathing.
Mindful Breathing is one of the mindfulness practices included in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and based on Buddhist teachings, MBSR is a six- to 10-week program that teaches various mindfulness techniques through weekly sessions and homework assignments. Research suggests that MBSR benefits the mental health of various groups, including the following:
- People in different cultures and countries, such as bilingual Latin-American families, university students in China, disadvantaged families in Hong Kong, low-income cyclo drivers in Vietnam, males with generalized anxiety disorder in Iran, Indigenous people in the Republic of Congo, and Aboriginal Australians.
- Women around the world, including pregnant women in China, rural women in India who experienced still-birth, at-risk women in Iran, Muslim women college students in the United Arab Emirates, American survivors of intimate partner violence, and socioeconomically disadvantaged Black women with post-traumatic stress disorder.
- People with certain diseases, such as New Zealanders with rheumatoid arthritis, male patients with heart disease in India, patients with diabetes in South Korea, cancer patients in Canada, breast cancer survivors in China, and HIV-positive individuals in Toronto, San Francisco, Iran, and South Africa.
More research is needed to explore whether, and how, the impact of this practice extends to other groups and cultures.
Keep in Mind
The suitability of this meditation may vary depending on your culture or other life circumstances. For example, while Filipino survivors of Typhoon Haiyan improved in self-efficacy and coping after a day mindfulness training that included Mindful Breathing, those who were displaced from their homes returned to familiar coping methods (like prayer and community support) shortly after being introduced to Mindful Breathing.
A study on American inmates suggests that Mindful Breathing is useful regardless of religious affiliation. But adapting this meditation to include religious beliefs may also be beneficial. For example, Christian university students who participated in a six- to eight-week Christian mindfulness program that incorporated beliefs about God into Mindful Breathing felt less stressed compared to those who did not participate, regardless of ethnicity.
For MBSR in general, a 2015 study found that the program “improved depressive symptoms regardless of affiliation with a religion, sense of spiritually, … sex, or age.” However, other studies suggest that MBSR may not benefit everyone equally:
- When MBSR was administered in Massachusetts correctional facilities, male prisoners experienced less mental health improvement than female prisoners.
- MBSR may not be beneficial in all cultural contexts. For Haitian mental health practitioners and teachers, MBSR contradicted some of their cultural worldviews and everyday practices. Brazilian medical students who participated in MBSR experienced no significant changes in mental health or quality of life.
Sources
Diana Winston, Ph.D., UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
References
Adelian, H., Sedigheh, K. S., Miri, S., & Farokhzadian, J. (2021). The effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction on resilience of vulnerable women at drop-in centers in the southeast of Iran. BMC Women's Health, 21, 1–10.
Bowen, S., Bergman, A. L., & Witkiewitz, K. (2015). Engagement in Buddhist meditation practices among non-Buddhists: Associations with religious identity and practice. Mindfulness, 6(6), 1456–1461.
Fogarty, F. A., Booth, R. J., Lee, A. C., Dalbeth, N., & Consedine, N. S. (2019). Mindfulness-based stress reduction with individuals who have rheumatoid arthritis: Evaluating depression and anxiety as mediators of change in disease activity. Mindfulness, 10(7), 1328–1338.
Gallegos, A. M., Heffner, K. L., Cerulli, C., Luck, P., McGuinness, S., & Pigeon, W. R. (2020). Effects of mindfulness training on posttraumatic stress symptoms from a community-based pilot clinical trial among survivors of intimate partner violence. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(8), 859–868.
Gayner, B., Esplen, M. J., DeRoche, P., Wong, J., Bishop, S., Kavanagh, L., & Butler, K. (2012). A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction to manage affective symptoms and improve quality of life in gay men living with HIV. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 35(3), 272–285.
Greeson, J. M., Smoski, M. J., Suarez, E. C., Brantley, J. G., Ekblad, A. G., Lynch, T. R., & Wolever, R. Q. (2015). Decreased symptoms of depression after mindfulness-based stress reduction: Potential moderating effects of religiosity, spirituality, trait mindfulness, sex, and age. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 21(3), 166–174.
Hechanova, M. R., Docena Pierce, S., Alampay Liane Peña, Avegale, A., Porio Emma, E., Melgar, I. E., & Berger, R. (2018). Evaluation of a resilience intervention for Filipino displaced survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan. Disaster Prevention and Management, 27(3), 346–359.
Hecht, F. M., Moskowitz, J. T., Moran, P., Epel, E. S., Bacchetti, P., Acree, M., Kemeny, M. E., Mendes, W. B., Duncan, L. G., Weng, H., Levy, J. A., Deeks, S. G., & Folkman, S. (2018). A randomized, controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction in HIV infection. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 73, 331–339.
Hirano, M., & Yukawa, S. (2013). The impact of mindfulness meditation on anger. Japanese Journal of Psychology, 84(2), 93–102.
Ho, R. T. H., Lo, H. H. M., Fong, T. C. T., & Choi, C. W. (2020). Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on diurnal cortisol pattern in disadvantaged families: A randomized controlled trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 117, 7.
Hoffman, D. M. (2019). Mindfulness and the cultural psychology of personhood: Challenges of self, other, and moral orientation in Haiti. Culture & Psychology, 25(3), 302–323.
Jung, H. Y., Lee, H., & Park, J. (2015). Comparison of the effects of Korean mindfulness-based stress reduction, walking, and patient education in diabetes mellitus. Nursing & Health Sciences, 17(4), 516–525.
Kabat-Zinn, J., De Torrijos, F., Skillings, A. H., Blacker, M., Mumford, G. T., Alvares, D. L., & Rosal, M. C. (2016). Delivery and effectiveness of a dual language (English/Spanish) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program in the inner city - A seven-year experience: 1992-1999. Mindfulness & Compassion, 1(1), 2–13.
Kabat-Zinn, J., & Hanh, T. N. (2009). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. Delta.
Lavrencic, L. M., Donovan, T., Moffatt, L., Keiller, T., Allan, W., Delbaere, K., & Radford, K. (2021). Ngarraanga giinganay (‘thinking peacefully’): Co-design and pilot study of a culturally-grounded mindfulness-based stress reduction program with older First Nations Australians. Evaluation and Program Planning, 87, 12.
Le, T. N. (2017). Cultural considerations in a phenomenological study of mindfulness with Vietnamese youth and cyclo drivers. International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 6(4), 246–260.
Li, J., & Qin, X. (2021). Efficacy of mindfulness‐based stress reduction on fear of emotions and related cognitive behavioral processes in Chinese university students: A randomized controlled trial. Psychology in the Schools, 1–17.
Majid, S. A., Seghatoleslam, T., Homan, H. A., Akhvast, A., & Habil, H. (2012). Effect of mindfulness based stress management on reduction of generalized anxiety disorder. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 41(10), 24–28.
McIntyre, T., Elkonin, D., de Kooker, M., & Magidson, J. F. (2018). The application of mindfulness for individuals living with HIV in South Africa: A hybrid effectiveness-implementation pilot study. Mindfulness, 9(3), 871–883.
Neto, A. D., Lucchetti, A. L. G., Ezequiel, O. S., & Lucchetti, G. (2020). Effects of a required large-group mindfulness meditation course on first-year medical students’ mental health and quality of life: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35(3), 672–678.
Parswani, M. J., Sharma, M. P., & Iyengar, S. S. (2013). Mindfulness-based stress reduction program in coronary heart disease: A randomized control trial. International Journal of Yoga, 6(2), 111.
Roberts, L. R., & Montgomery, S. B. (2016). Mindfulness-based intervention for perinatal grief in rural India: Improved mental health at 12 months follow-up. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 37(12), 942–951.
Samuelson, M., Carmody, J., Kabat-Zinn, J., & Bratt, M. A. (2007). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in Massachusetts correctional facilities. The Prison Journal, 87(2), 254–268.
SeyedAlinaghi, S., Jam, S., Foroughi, M., Imani, A., Mohraz, M., Djavid, G. E., & Black, D. S. (2012). Randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction delivered to human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients in Iran: effects on CD4⁺ T lymphocyte count and medical and psychological symptoms. Psychosomatic Medicine, 74(6), 620–627.
Speca, M., Carlson, L. E., Goodey, E., & Angen, M. (2000). A randomized, wait-list controlled clinical trial: The effect of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62(5), 613–622.
Tan, S. B., Ching, H. C., Chia, Y. L., Yee, A., Ng, C. G., bin Hasan, M. S., . . . Lam, C. L. (2020). The effect of 20-minute mindful breathing on the perception of suffering and changes in bispectral index score (BIS) in palliative care informal caregivers: A randomized controlled study. American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, 37(8), 606–612.
Tang, Y., Ma, Y., Wang, J., Fan, Y., Feng, S., Lu, Q., . . . Posner, M. I. (2007). Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation. PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104(43), 17152–17156.
Thomas, J., Raynor, M., & Bahussain, E. (2016). Stress reactivity, depressive symptoms, and mindfulness: A Gulf Arab perspective. International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 5(3), 156–166.
Trammel, R. (2018). Effectiveness of an MP3 Christian mindfulness intervention on mindfulness and perceived stress. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 21(5), 500–514.
Vinesett, A. L., Whaley, R. R., Woods-Giscombe, C., Dennis, P., Johnson, M., Li, Y., Mounzeo, P., Baegne, M., & Wilson, K. H. (2017). Modified African Ngoma healing ceremony for stress reduction: A pilot study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 23(10), 800–804.
Waldron, E. M., & Burnett-Zeigler, I. (2021). The impact of participation in a mindfulness-based intervention on posttraumatic stress symptomatology among Black women: A pilot study. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 14(1), 29–37.
Williams, J. M., & Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Mindfulness: Diverse perspectives on its meaning, origins and applications at the intersection of science and dharma. Routledge.
Zhang, J., Cui, Y., Zhou, Y., & Li, Y. (2019). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on prenatal stress, anxiety and depression. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 24(1), 51–58.
Zhang, J., Zhou, Y., Feng, Z., Fan, Y., Zeng, G., & Wei, L. (2017). Randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on posttraumatic growth of Chinese breast cancer survivors. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 22(1), 94–109.
Mindful Breathing can increase our awareness and reduce our tendency to ruminate. Are you attuned to the present moment? Take our Mindfulness quiz to find out:
Comments
and Reviews
sandraemma
Am really grateful and thankful for what Dr Aba has done for me and my family. I Was having HERPES for good three years with no solution, the diseases almost took my life and because I was unable to work and I was also loosing lots of money .for medication, but one faithful day when I went online, I met lots of testimonies about this great man so I decided to give it a try and to God be the glory he did it. he cured me of my diseases and am so happy and so pleased to Write about him today. if you need his help or you also want to get cured just the way I got mine, just email him below Dr.abaherbalherbalhome@gmail.com or Whatsapp :+2348107155060
Veronica Hdaidh
Quero agradecer ao Dr. O. WATER pelo medicamento à base de plantas que me deu a mim e à minha filha. Eu estava a sofrer de surtos de VIH e herpes simples em todos os meus genitais quando dei à luz a minha filha e foi assim que a minha filha apanhou a doença indiretamente de mim. Quero utilizar este meio para dizer a todos que a solução para a nossa doença chegou, por isso gostaria que contactassem este grande curador para o seu endereço de e-mail: DRWATERHIVCURECENTRE@GMAIL.COM e pelo Whatsapp +2349050205019. Estou muito feliz hoje porque eu e a minha filha estamos curados do VIH e do herpes. Agora estamos negativos após o uso do seu medicamento à base de plantas, e o meu médico especialista confirmou isso. mais uma vez digo um grande obrigado ao Doutor O.WATER pelas suas mãos curadoras sobre a minha vida e a minha filha.
Henriette Amunazo
FUI CURADO DO VÍRUS HERPES SIMPLEX PELO DR. WATER, O GRANDE HERBALISTA. 🌿☘️ Estou muito feliz por partilhar este testemunho com o mundo porque geralmente há muitas dúvidas sobre a cura do vírus HERPES simplex. Isto é real, levem isto a sério, o meu nome é HENRIETTE AMUNAZO e estou muito feliz por hoje poder dar este testemunho ao mundo e também ajudar pessoas que foram condenadas tal como eu fui. Quem acreditaria que uma erva pode curar o HERPES completamente do corpo? Nunca acreditei que isto resultasse, gastei muito dinheiro a comprar medicamentos no hospital para suprimir surtos, chegou uma altura em que tudo o que queria era que a morte viesse porque estava falido e já tinha fortes surtos do vírus do herpes. Um dia, estava a navegar na internet fazendo perguntas online só para saber mais sobre os últimos desenvolvimentos no setor médico para ver se ainda havia esperança, então deparei-me com uma publicação sobre este grande homem chamado DR WATER através de uma amiga online que deu publicamente um testemunho sobre como também foi curada do vírus herpes simplex 2 por este médico herbalista que é bem conhecido pela sua forte prática herbal antiga para a cura de HERPES, HIV, VERRUGAS e CANCRO. No início duvidei tanto da mulher como do médico, assim como muitos que vêem este post duvidariam, porque clinicamente estava provado que era impossível, mas depois decidi tentar, por isso enviei-lhe um e-mail. Não acreditei muito nele, só queria dar-lhe uma oportunidade. Ele respondeu ao meu e-mail e precisava de algumas informações sobre mim, por isso enviei-lha, ele preparou um medicamento à base de plantas (CURA) e enviou-o através do serviço de entrega online. Ele deu os meus dados à Courier Office. Disseram-me que em 3 a 5 dias receberia o pacote e depois de o receber, tomei o medicamento conforme prescrito por ele, no final dos 13 dias que o medicamento durou, disse-me para ir ao hospital para fazer um teste, e eu fui, surpreendentemente depois do teste o médico confirmou-me livre do vírus do herpes simplex, pensei que fosse uma brincadeira, fui a outros hospitais e também me confirmaram que estava livre do herpes, direi que foi como um milagre. Esperei para ver se teria novos surtos e já lá vão 2 meses desde que não tive nenhum. Obrigado senhor por me salvar a vida, mesmo que não possa ver esta publicação, nunca deixarei de testemunhar o impacto que causou na minha vida ao restaurá-la quando estava a ser estigmatizado e até evitado por familiares e amigos. Prometo que testemunharei sempre as suas boas obras. se tem vírus herpes simplex, é paciente com HIV, diabetes, vírus do papiloma humano ou verrugas genitais, contacte-o e tenho a certeza que será curado, contacte-o através de: e-mail: Drwaterhivcurecentre@gmail.com ou ligue/whatsapp: +2349050205019 ESTAS SÃO AS COISAS QUE O DR WATER É ESPECIALIZADO . HERPES . VIH/SIDA . CÂNCER . VERRUGAS GENITAIS . CÁLCULOS NOS RENAIS . ÚLCERA . HEPATITE B&C . TRANSTORNO DA TAXA PORTUÁRIA . DIABETES . CANCRO DE PRÓSTRATA . MIOMA, CISTO . INFERTILIDADE [MARIDO OU ESPOSA]
nelly tyson
Hello everyone. Dr. Osalu Herbs is a good remedy for herpes Virus , I was a carrier of herpes virus and I saw a testimony on how Dr. Osalu cured Herpes Virus, I decided to contact him, I contacted him and he guided me. I asked him for solutions and he started the remedies for my health. After he finished he sent me the herbs which I took for 2 weeks before asking me to go for a check up and getting there. I could not believe that I was confirmed HSV 2 Negative after the test,Today I am so happy because i'm free from herpes virus with the help of Dr. Osalu Thank God now everything is fine, I'm cured by Dr. Osalu herbal medicine, I'm very thankful to God for making it possible. you can reach him on his email, i strongly recommend him to any one out here looking for a cure . drosaluherbalhome@gmail.com or call/whats-app +2348078668950. website: https://drosaluherbalhome.wixsite.com/drosaluherbshome
Benjamin Spahr
Steve Johns
Check out our blog : Sydney Australia Tour Packages for Indian Jain Travelers
The Greater Good Toolkit
Made in collaboration with Holstee, this tookit includes 30 science-based practices for a meaningful life.
The Greater Good Toolkit
Made in collaboration with Holstee, this tookit includes 30 science-based practices for a meaningful life.