PRACTICE TIME: 25 MINUTES.
Do breathing practices make you feel more anxious? Adding poetry can help. Sitting still and focusing only on the breath can be challenging for some. However, mindfulness practices that engage our awareness of the breath alongside other sensations, such as sounds, smells, and touch, can be helpful.
I combine awareness of breathing and listening to poetry (awareness of sound) in this mindfulness practice. Poetry stimulates our attention to sounds and emotions, even as we focus on feeling the breath move in and out of the body. In this awareness of breath practice, I use poetry that offers graciousness and gratitude to the body to help you settle into a quiet space so that you can practice expressing gratitude for the body breathing at this moment.