Thinking Traps 111
Exercise 4.1: The Nonjudgmental Breath For the next three
minutes, take a moment to pause. During this time, direct all of
your consciousness and attention to your breathing. Approach your
breath with openness and genuine interest. Do your best to notice
aspects of your breathing you have never thought about before.
For instance, take a moment to register the qualitative experience
of breathing. What does it feel like to inhale, hold your breath,
and then exhale? Is the air warm or cold? Try alternating between
breathing through your nose and breathing through your mouth.
Do you notice any differences?
The most important part of this exercise is to simply acknowl-
edge and note the different experiences without evaluating them.
Nothing is inherently good or bad about a particular breath you
take. It’s just a process that your body performs, and it’s fine to leave
it at that.
During this practice, sometimes you may notice that your
mind has wandered to repetitive negative thoughts. It doesn’t mean
you did anything wrong , and it’s entirely natural. What you do with
these thoughts, however, will determine your eventual emotional
condition. So try to take the same nonjudgmental attitude toward
any worrisome thoughts you have as you are taking toward your
breathing. There’s no need to appraise a worrisome thought as good
or bad. It’s simply a thought, which is a natural mental occurrence,
just as breathing is a natural physical occurrence. Patiently redirect
your consciousness to your breathing while noting that you had a
thought.
Noticing when your attention has wandered and redirecting
it nonjudgmentally to your breath will require some practice, but
continued use of this exercise will be of long- term benefit. Further-
more, you can do it at any time and in just about any context. Your
surroundings may change, but using your breathing as a focal point
for your nonjudgmental consciousness will enable you to apply this
mind- set across a wide variety of situations.