Start
- Find a quiet place where you can sit up straight and comfortably, such as the edge of your bed, the floor, or a chair.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breathing or another focal point to be fully present.
- Relax your body by loosening your shoulders, loosening your jaw, and softening your eyebrows.
Mindful meditation focused on calming breathing
Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or absent-minded? One of the free stress-relief tools you have at your disposal anytime, anywhere you might not necessarily think to take advantage of is breathing.
Our breath is a powerful tool with dual functions. We can use it as a gauge to recognize when our body is in overdrive (think rapid, shallow breathing from the chest). It can also be used as a sedative to promote slow, deep breathing and relieve tension. Fight or flight response.
Fortunately, we can easily access our breath whenever our hearts are racing and bring our brains back to baseline. This meditation shows how quickly you can calm down by using your breath as an anchor.
This meditation is also part of Verywell Mind’s 30-day meditation email series. Pause and play. Sign up here to subscribe and continue your mindfulness journey with us. Check out our meditation library for more videos.
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