Why do I need to focus on my breath when I already do it without trying?
OK, be honest now. Have you ever been puzzled about why wellness coaches tell you to pay attention to your breath? Don’t you already know how to breathe? And it happens automatically. So what? When Gail and I took the five-day professional education course from the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in September, our small group practices always started with a time to focus on the breath. And it was remarkable how that simple practice focused our attention on our work and time together, and how it calmed any sense of rush or stress we were bringing into the moment. We were able to be fully present with each other and also to be more aware of our own important thoughts and feelings in that moment. We felt that our thinking was clearer after such a breath awareness time, such an important gift for a group working together. I suspect that (if you are like me) there are plenty of times when you have too many thoughts happening at once...