Breathing exercises
Three-minute breath
Sigh out slowly (SOS)
This simple breathing exercise only takes a minute. You can use it almost anywhere. It can help you to feel less overwhelmed and more in control. You may want to close your eyes. It’s fine to keep them open if you prefer.
Raise your shoulders up as far as you can, as if trying to touch your ears. At the same time, take a deep slow breath in through your nose counting slowly 1,2,3.
Hold your breath for a moment. Gently lower your shoulders. At the same time, blow slowly out through your mouth. Do it as if you were trying to make a candle flame flicker or blow a feather through the air. Count slowly again if it helps, 1,2,3.
Colour breathing
This technique can help with stress relief and general mood improvement.
To start, think of something you want to bring into yourself. This could be a specific emotion or just positive vibes. Now, assign this feeling a colour. There’s no right or wrong answer, but consider choosing a colour you like or find soothing.
Once you have your chosen emotion and colour in mind, you can get comfortable. Just sit or stand as you normally would.
Close your eyes and relax by breathing slowly and deeply. Visualise the colour you have chosen. Continue breathing while holding that colour in your thoughts. Think about what it represents for you.
With each inhale, imagine the colour slowly washing over your body from head to toe. Continue breathing as you visualise the colour filling your entire body, including your fingertips and toes. Imagine any unwanted emotions draining out of your body with each exhale. Replace them with your chosen colour with each inhale.
Box breathing
Soothing rhythm breathing
Mindfulness
The compassionate self
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Leaves on a stream
Letting go of thoughts/anxiety
Sit up tall in a quiet place where you can be free from distractions. Breathe slowly and evenly in and out through your nose. Let your energy settle by anchoring your attention to the breath. Soften your shoulders, belly and thighs. Watch the breath with a sense of loving awe.
Breath in, breath out. Feel the gentle rise and fall of the body as the body breathes itself. Let yourself drop into a state of being, rather than doing. Right here, right now, just present with the breath. As you watch the breath, of course, thoughts will still arise. The mind is energy, and always at play.
Today, as you notice these thoughts, watch them as if from a distance. You are not your thoughts, but the witness of these thoughts. It can help to visualise your thoughts as if they are clouds or bubbles. A thought arises, it floats up and into our awareness. Then if left alone, it will also float on by, dissipate, or burst. Stay anchored to your breath as you play with awareness of this process. Present with breath but aware of thought clouds or thought bubbles that arise.
Like clouds, like bubbles, understand that these thoughts are not solid, not fixed. They take shape, and they break apart. They are constantly changing shape, blown by the wind. They come and go. We cannot grasp at a cloud or a bubble. Neither is there any point in grasping to these thoughts, so let them be.
Remain aware of the breath, as the thoughts do their thing. Avoid chasing, following, or attaching to thought. Avoid trying to stop thoughts or push them away. Remain aware of the breath, aware of this state of being, and not doing. Aware of thoughts, but not thinking. Practice lovingly allowing your thoughts to shift, change and flow. Nothing to fight against, nothing to stop. Love your thoughts, and at the same time, let them go.
Remain present, right here and right now, with your breath. Breath in, breath out. Recall that you are not your thoughts, but their witness. Look upon each thought with curiosity or awe. But again and again, anchor back to the breath.
The mind is energy, and energy is always at play. It is up to you to choose which type of energy. You’d like to invite in and then simply let the rest go. Breathe in, and breathe out. Identifying with the energy of stability, even breath. Steadiness, peacefulness, and ease.
Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Meditation - HelpGuide.org
Longer body scan
The Free Mindfulness Project - Free Resources
Brief senses exercise
Mountain meditation
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Home | Mindfulness, Mental Health and Wellbeing - (mindfultherapies.org.uk) Located in Newcastle City Centre. You can book onto mindfulness classes of different kinds, and they run on a donation basis, so you can pay what you can afford. They also have classes on Facebook. They can offer private counselling sessions ranging from £40-£60. The website also has access to free online resources.
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Meditation North Shields | Peace Of Mind Meditation | England Frankie runs in person (a studio in the Fish Quay) and online 5-week meditation courses.
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Compassion Kadampa Buddhist Centre - Home (meditation-newcastle.org)Meditation for Newcastle and the North-East. A mixture of classes to book or just turn up to in Gosforth. They also have a shop you can visit.
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Oak Sangha - Plum Village UK The Oak Sangha meets in the town of Hexham in Northumberland. They practice Mindful Living. Regular meetings include guided and unguided meditations; walking meditation; readings with reflection and sharing opportunities over a cup of tea. They meet weekly (Wednesday) on Zoom. Once a month, we meet in person on a Saturday afternoon 2 -4 p.m.
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Mindfulness Based Living Course MBLC | Yoga is For Life - Online & In Person. A free in person 8-week Mindfulness Based Living Course in Alnwick. Mindful Yoga in Warkworth. Yoga for chronic pain. Drop-in Mindfulness sessions.