Present-Minded Awareness Breath

The regular practice of yoga teaches us that there is only the present moment, that time is a concept that exists solely in the imagination. The tendency to drift into past memories and future plans takes you away from yourself, making you insensitive to what is going on around you every moment of the day.

 

Practicing the Present-Minded Awareness Breath will help you learn to stay in the present, so that you can put all of your energy into working toward your goals. By keeping your energies on what you can do in the present, you get on with your life and reduce your worries about the future.

 

Benefits

 

Improves focus, concentration, and awareness of the need to stay in the moment

 

Focus

 

Practice moving your arms as slowly as you can, until you have the body and breath coordinated. Observe; stay in the moment of simply "being." Bring yourself back into each moment of each day, no matter how trivial your task.

 

1. Lie on the floor on your back with your arms at your sides, palms facing up, and legs extended, feet slightly apart. Inhaling, raise your arms above your head.

 

2. Exhaling, bring your arms down to the floor at your sides, while bending your right knee to your chest.

 

3. Inhaling, raise your arms overhead, palms facing up, while straightening your right leg parallel to the floor.

 

4. Repeat by slowly raising and lowering each alternate leg 6 times with the corresponding arm movements.

 

5. Release and then draw your right knee to your chest. Loosely interlock your fingers around your knee.

 

6. Inhale slowly, and exhale 112 times longer than your inhalation.

 

7. Repeat for a total of 7 slow breaths, then change legs. Repeat this breath with your left leg drawn into your chest.

 

8. Release your leg and lie quietly. Enjoy the feeling of being in the moment.