Dear friend. The breath is always with you. You do not have to go anywhere to find it. It has been with you since the first cry, and it will be with you at the last. To come back to the breath is to come back to your own true home.
Breathing in, breathing out
When you sit, please say silently to yourself:
Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.
After a few breaths, the phrases can become shorter: in, out. In, out. Do not push the breath. Just notice. The body knows how to breathe — it has been doing this without your help for as long as you have been alive.
Adding a smile
After some breaths, you may try:
Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile.
A very small smile, at the corner of the mouth. Not because you are pretending to be happy. The smile is a gift to your own face, your own nervous system. It softens what was tense.
When the mind wanders
Your mind will wander. This is not a problem. Like a young child running across the room, your mind will run after the next interesting thought. When you notice, take its hand kindly. Walk it back. Breathing in. Breathing out.
Do not be harsh with yourself. The harshness is also a thought. Let it pass like the others.
Bringing it into the day
Mindfulness of breathing does not have to stay on the cushion. While you wash the dishes, you can wash the dishes. While you walk to the bus, you can walk to the bus. The bell of a phone, the red of a traffic light — these can be small bells of mindfulness calling you back to your own breath.
Every breath is a chance to begin again.