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🌬️ Witness Breath

5 minutes

Adapted from Body by Breath by Jill Miller

This is a simple breath practice you can take with you anywhere—on the trail, in your car, lying in bed. It's about becoming a quiet observer of your breath—no need to change it or fix it. Just notice it doing what it does.

Think of it like watching the wind move through the trees. You're not trying to control it. You're just noticing.

At first, paying close attention to your breath might feel strange or even uncomfortable. That's totally normal. It can make your breath feel tight or unnatural at first. But with a little patience, your breath will start to settle, and the practice becomes more calming over time. Part of the practice is just noticing those ups and downs and even recognizing how just the simple act of observing the breath can change it.

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Jill's Instructions:

Observe the natural volume of breath entering and exiting your lungs and welcome your awareness into I embody my breath.

You don't need to manage the breath; simply observe the four parts as they occur:

  1. Inhale
  2. Suspension (the top of the roller-coaster moment when inhale ends and before exhale begins)
  3. Exhale
  4. Vacation (the void at the bottom of the exhale prior to the onset of the next inhale)

Focus exclusively on observing the breath's behavior, much as a scientist observes their subject. In this case, you are both the scientist and the subject. You are the embodied lab. Repeat for 3 to 10 minutes or 15 to 100 rounds.

Find more from Jill Miller at tuneupfitness.com
Reference: Miller, Jill. Body by Breath. Victory Belt Publishing, 2023.