Whether we are thinking about it or not, we take refuge in our breath. It is the one stable solid ground we can depend on no matter what for as long as we are alive. Regardless of our internal processes, thoughts, emotions, perceptions, breath keeps us going. Whenever we feel stressed, scattered with worry, anxious or simply get carried away in the busyness of our lives, breath is the one thing that we can return to collect and anchor our mind.

Feel the flow of air coming in and going out of the nose. Natural, light, calm and peaceful. At any time we feel the need to center ourselves, whether at work, home, at the grocery store, we can return to this peaceful source of life.

If it helps, you may recite,

Breathing in I know that I am breathing in.

Breathing out I know that I am breathing out.

Feeling the breath as it actually is, without controlling or forcing to behave a certain way, we can simply watch the breath going in and out of the nose. Conscious breathing is the key to uniting body and mind and bringing the energy of mindfulness into each moment of our life.