Breathing Exercise 1

One of the first meditations I recorded and do not market that much anymore since I am unhappy with the recording and the script. We have an expression in Swedish “the first pancake”. Our pancakes are thin, like a French crêpe, and the first one to hit the pan usually goes in the trash bin.

The concept is easy – use your breathing as an anchor for your attention and to connect with your body. The way you breathe is very much connected to how relaxed you feel. If you breathe fast and up in your chest that triggers the fight and flight part of us and can make you feel more stressed and anxious than you need to be. Breathing more slowly and “down into your belly” helps us relax. What I am not that happy about here is that I ask you to try to stay focused on your breathing. That often triggers people to feel like they have to perform and when you are stressed that can make you feel more stressed. The most important thing is not that you are able to stay focused. Everyone gets distracted. Not even the most experienced meditators can stay focused all the time. Your brain is designed to try to solve your problems when it is not required to focus completely on something to prevent you from being hurt etc. By directing your attention to your breathing, your brain gets something easy to do, something that is also a relaxing activity. So think of your breathing as an anchor for your attention and a way to become more connected to your body if you want to listen to this meditation.