Mindfulness without focusing on breathing?
Hi,
I'm only in the very beginning stages of learning about mindfulness (and thanks to those in the chatroom this morning and the discussion there)
One thing I've been noticing is that when I try some of the mindfulness exercises I've come across so far, they have been focusing on breathing and noticing breathing .... and suggest that as something helpful.
I wish i could do that but somehow I freak out and spin into a panic attack when I start focusing on it - which I either need to find a way to overcome, or otherwise are there exercises and things I can do without the focus on the breathing being necessary?
(might sound silly but it's very real)
Thanks for any input, suggestions
@WildOlive
Hi, I know exactly what you mean and you are not alone. Instead of focusing on your breathing try doing something different - maybe try one of these and see if it helps:-
1) Sit calmly and quietly for a moment. Place your hands one over the other and then just allow the tension to release in your arms and shoulders until you feel them relax. If you want to do something to keep your mind distracted and more focused then slowly raise your thumbs and accurately place the tips together and push or maybe roll the thumbs one over the other and watch them.
2) Try a focus object to hold - a lot of people use crystals for this which can be very effective ( but another subject entirely) but you can use any object and just calmly and carefully look at it and examine it, look at how it is made, feel the texture of it, stroke it, get to know it.
3) Look at something - focus on a point or an object , maybe look out of the window and see only one thing by focusing on it and thinking about it carefully, and noticing everything about it, the colour the size, the shape, the ridges and flaws, just look and really see for a few moments.
Breathing obviously is necessary for life but if focusing on it is not working for you then allow yourself to try something else. There are lots of different ways of being mindful and once you have found that joy and acceptance of mindfulness by using another method then you will find lots of other ways too.
