The Three-minute Breathing Space: A Simple Practice for Grounding and Presence

Early and ongoing research has helped establish that mindfulness-based approaches can support healthy stress management and coping, as well as resilience for a range of health conditions. In a nutshell, mindfulness refers to the innate capacity that we all have to be aware of current experience, including the present quality of one’s thoughts, feelings, and body sensations.

To give an everyday example of mindfulness, you might have had the experience of grocery shopping on an empty stomach, and suddenly having a recognition that your cart is drifting down the junk food aisle in the direction of your favourite comfort food. Your inner witness, or observer has ‘noticed’ the direction of your thoughts and the action that you are exerting for a particular purpose, in this case a craving for a yummy treat.

In that same fashion, the three-minute breathing space uses awareness as a tool. It calls upon our brain’s ability to pay attention in different ways. The practice consists of several parts.

Part One: Notice What is.

I sometimes playfully refer to this step as taking the inner weather report. Just as we might flip on the news or look out at the sky to assess the weather before dressing for the day, this initial step involves being curious about one’s inner experience. And, inasmuch as we would think it silly (and impossible) to reach up and push away clouds we don’t want, or to pull the sun towards us to make it warmer, we don’t try to change or manipulate our inner weather here. We are simply noticing, bringing curiosity first to the body, and then to our emotions, and lastly to our thoughts.

“What sensations do I notice in my body?”

We often live much of our lives in motion, trying to keep up with the events of the day, or very busy in our thoughts. Many people don’t even notice their bodies very much, and areas of tension can creep up on us, like in our neck and shoulders. Here, we check in to ask how our body is doing. What pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral sensations are present?

“What emotions are here right now?”

In a similar way, we might name what feeling tones we recognize, such as sadness, anxiety, or calm. We can often forget that, even if they are unpleasant, our emotions developed to serve as sources of information. They can tell us something about how we might be experiencing a situation, what we might need, and even what is important to us. So, in this step we are taking stock of feelings as part of being curious about what is happening in this moment. Just like the weather can shift from overcast skies to bright sunshine, our emotional weather ebbs and flows. Although emotional states can sometimes feel timeless, especially the unpleasant ones, emotions shift and change. We are simply noticing the emotional weather of the moment.

“What thoughts am I aware of?”

Even asking this question is a good reminder that, although we can notice our thoughts, we have a consciousness that is not wholly our thoughts. If that were not true, we could not see what thoughts we are having, because we would be our thoughts. That is to say, even though our thoughts can be compelling, they are mental events. Our brain has a tendency to treat our thoughts as facts. But, they are always the mind’s interpretations of our experiences. With this step, we simply notice what thoughts are coming and going, and we might name the general theme (ex. Worrying, planning, replaying that conversation, and so on.)

Part Two:  Turn Attention to the Breath

Once we have a sense of our inner weather, this next step of the breathing space connects us to our breath directly. This part of the process supports becoming grounded in the present moment. Often, our mind either projects into the future, or looks back at the past. If either one of these places is generating worry, feelings of loss, or distress, bringing one’s attention to a present experience can be a way to feel more regulated, as opposed to getting lost or overwhelmed. Even focusing on a handful of breaths, noticing the movement of the body as the inhale flows into the exhale, or even silently repeating, “Breathing in, breathing out,” can encourage the mind to anchor itself in the present.

Part Three: Expanding

In my experience, this aspect of the practice is the most subtle. It involves shifting attention outwards to notice the whole body, seated or standing, and a sense of the wider space around, including aspects like sounds, or the temperature of the room.

The purpose of this step is partly to support the transition from an inward to an outward focus. But, more importantly, it can serve the function of supporting us to open up to experience. For example, one aspect that we know about anxiety is that it contracts our experience in our minds and bodies. When we are anxious we are not as good at creative problem solving and our muscles tend to constrict and tighten. When we are more open we tend to be not only more flexible in our mind’s experience, but also in our bodies. This last step encourages a sense of connection to a wider context, supports states of calm and grounding, and can even help us feel less foggy in our thought process, and more clear-headed.

So, now that we have reviewed the practice and some of the mechanics of the process, how does one use the three-minute breathing space? We will next review two examples where I have seen the three-minute breathing space can serve as a helpful tool.

Managing Chronic Health Issues

I have worked with many people who are dealing with longstanding physical and/or mental health concerns, and I have found that their reported experience of life is that aspects such as pain, energy, mood, and motivation fluctuate sometimes a bit more dramatically than for some people. For example, someone who deals with chronic pain can find their capacity to tackle numerous items on a household chores list will be different on a day when the pain level is higher. A practice like the three-minute breathing space, such as part of a morning routine, can serve as a thermometer to gauge what expectations are reasonable and attainable for that day. Some tasks might need to be put aside for a day with better weather, so to speak. This, in turn, helps people in learning how to be kinder to themselves. People with chronic illnesses can get frustrated, and this energy can easily turn on themselves. Having reasonable expectations helps people to set themselves up for success. I have also seen this practice used as a touchstone to connect with during the course of a day, as a way to assess how one’s inner weather may have shifted, and what corresponding self-care, or other adjustments may be appropriate.

Managing Moments of Stress and Distress

Like learning any skill, such a practice takes, well, practice. But, if something feels upsetting or “off,” taking just a few minutes to move through the three-minute breathing space can support grounding in the present, like a ship dropping an anchor to steady itself during a storm. It is not uncommon for people to report feeling more steady, grounded, or calm after engaging in this brief practice. They have also reported clarity at times about what next steps might be needed, such as some kind of self-care, or action step in response to the knowledge gained by taking stock of their inner experience. For example, I have sometimes had people speak of how they realized they needed to go to bed early, because they did not recognize until during the practice how tired they were, and that this might be why they were finding it harder to cope. In just a few minutes, it is interesting how much we can understand ourselves just a little bit better, and even respond to this knowing with support, as we might do for a friend.

If such a practice sounds of interest, I would encourage you to experiment with it, such as during a quiet moment, or natural break in your day. The three-minute breathing space is a humble little practice, although it demonstrates that sometimes even a few moments of attending to ourselves with curiosity and the desire to support ourselves can make a noticeable difference.

I hope you’ve found this article helpful. If you may be interested in learning a bit about how a counsellor or therapist might support you in your own journey at this time, feel free to send me a message or give me a call for a free 30-minute consultation. I would be happy to talk with you. Best wishes, Holly