Unlike many businesses, Technalink has always found value in mindfulness among all levels of staff. But it can sometimes be difficult for people just starting to see—or even understand—the benefits of mindfulness. This is where breathing with intention can become an easy tool to use toward this goal, but what is it, and how can it help with developing a sense of mindfulness?
The Rhythm Of Life
For most people, breathing is something that “just happens.” You don’t have to think about it; it occurs whether you pay attention to it or not, and unless something happens to either your lungs or the quality of air, it almost never enters your conscious thought. Because of this, many people think of breathing as easy or effortless, and in the strict biological sense, they’re right. Breathing is essential for life, and so the simple, mechanical act of taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide is an automatic reflex.
However, this is a reflex that people can exert control over. While we must breathe to live, how we breathe is something that we can influence. For example, it’s not just when we’re asleep that slower, deeper breaths occur; this is something we can consciously create by focusing on it and our control of our lungs and air intake. It is because of this ability to control our breath by creating and maintaining awareness of it that we can forge a path toward mindfulness.
Not Shutting Things Out
A common misconception some people have of the state of mindfulness is that it is shutting things down, or closing off awareness of the world to live in some deep, rich, inner state. However, true mindfulness is actually the opposite. The goal of mindfulness is not to isolate you from the world, but to make you aware of it, in the present moment, and not to spend time or energy focusing on wandering thoughts, daydreams, or inner narratives.
In other words, mindfulness is the act of fighting many people’s reflexive habit to shut out the world and lose themselves in thought, and instead let those thoughts go, and embrace the world. This is where intentional breathing can be a powerful tool in helping to give direction to this focus.
Sensations To Experience
Breathing with intention can mean a few things. At its simplest, breathing with intention means making an effort to control your breath. This could be as simple as monitoring your natural breathing rhythm, or take it to the next level, with specific breathing exercises. A few examples are things like inhaling, holding breath, exhaling, and holding the exhale for fixed intervals of four seconds each, or breathing in deeply, and then exhaling with a hum.
However, while this is happening, you are also monitoring or focusing on your breathing process. Breathing engages three of the senses simultaneously. You can hear yourself breathe, you can smell the intake of air, and you can feel your lungs and throat sensations during the breathing process. All of this provides an immediate way for you to focus on the present, since something is happening within your body and within your control to concentrate on.
It’s possible to add even more “intention” to the breathing process by giving yourself goals to focus on. This may involve visualizing an outcome that you want for the day, scanning your overall body and mood to see how you are doing, or setting goals for yourself.
If you’d like to know more about meditative practices in business, The Om Factor: A Woman’s Spiritual Guide To Leadership is available in print, digital, and audiobook formats, bringing her personal insights and experiences to making this approach work in the world of business.
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