More About Pause.
(We will be updating these pages with more tools, tips and techniques so please visit often.)BOX BREATHING TECHNIQUE
Box breathing, also known as square breathing, is a technique used when taking slow, deep breaths. It can heighten performance and concentration while also being a powerful stress reliever. It’s also called four-square breathing.
“5-4-3-2-1” GROUNDING TECHINQUE
This technique takes us through our five senses to bring us to the present. It can be done out-loud or in-your-head:
Listing FIVE things you SEE around you: the walls, ground, objects, people, colors or anything else around you.
Next, list FOUR things you can TOUCH or FEEL around you: clothes, furniture, plants, animals, the ground, your feet in your shoes, your hair on your neck.
Then, list THREE things you HEAR externally around you: birds, cars, people, music, the wind or your own deep, slow breaths.
Then, list TWO things you can SMELL: take your time finding a smell or the absence of a smell in the space around you. If you can’t smell anything at the moment, you can name your 2 favorite smells.
Finally, list ONE thing you can TASTE: Did you just eat or brush your teeth? Coffee or a mint?
3-MINUTE SQUARE BREATHING VISUAL
That sense of feeling the air on my skin, my feet on the floor, allows me to settle into myself, to refocus and respond in a different way, rather than just react habitually. That’s a great skill because it gives you the opportunity to do something different.”
- Ed Halliwell, Mindfulness Made Easy:
Learn How to Be Present and Kind to Yourself and Others