Breathing
Here is a quick and discreet way to calm the brain’s alarm centre when you need to reflect or relax completely inside your head:
Breathe deeply and calmly.
Of course this is easy because it´s something that we can already understand. The difference is that you need to shift your attention and notice how you breathe – how the air comes in and out of the nose and how your chest and abdomen move when you breathe. It’s the only thing you should do. When you continue to keep your attention on your breathing for a while, you get peace in your head and a pleasant feeling in your body.
While doing this, you will no doubt find that there are thoughts that try to grab your attention, again and again. Then secret is to just let the thoughts fly past, perhaps as if they are leaves or thought bubbles wafting past in the wind, while you quietly move your attention to your breath again and just notice the air through the nose and the movements of your body.
Another way is to count to yourself while you breathe deeply and calmly:
Breathe in slowly while you count 1…2… Breathe out slowly while you count 1…2… 3… 4…
- Deep and steady breathing calms the brain’s alarm centre and it´s also the world’s simplest way to develop your powers of attention. Every time you decide to focus on your breathing you strengthen your powers of attention. Then it becomes easier to:
- Maintain concentration on tasks and thoughts that are important, even if they are distactions, wether in your surroundings or your mind.Free yourself from thoughts and feelings that are bad for yourself (and others) if you keep them inside for too long.
- Mentally scan the outer world and within your mind and discover what can be exciting and important.
Read more: The attention – spotlight of the brain.