Mini-Mindful Breathing

People often say they want to meditate and be more mindful but they don’t know where to start.

Here’s an easy way that worked for me. I call it “Traffic Light Mindful Breathing”. Whenever you’re stuck at a red light, say to yourself, “Breathing in...breathing out...” and breathe while you say it. That’s all you have to do.

I first started doing this after driving home from a meditation class and realizing how stressed I was becoming from traffic (which was totally undoing the calm I had gained in class). Taking deep mindful breaths is the easiest way to cue your body to bring the stress down a notch. Now, I do it automatically, every time I am at a red light, I mindfully take a deep breath.
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Little steps add up. This is the easiest way to get ready to do longer meditations. It starts with the breath. Build it into your day with a visual cue and it will become automatic before you even realize it! 

Tiny mental micro-steps = Big overall changes.