Training the Puppy Mind - Stop, Breathe, Be

This little process will give your mind a moment to stop, refresh and reset. It’s like bringing your puppy to heel, calming it down and giving it a nice warm bath, before setting off again into your day.

Take a nice, deep breath in… and let it out… that’s it. As you settle for a moment, focus for a few breaths on stretching the out breath a little… if it feels good… That’s it… gently breathing in and breathing out and out and out… As you breathe in… and out and out and out, soften the muscles around your eyes. You might like to close your eyes for the moment.

As you pause between the out breath and the in breath…just holding it for a moment notice how easy it is to relax a little more into this moment. Pausing at the end of the out breath will calm your puppy mind - it’s a physiological response, programmed into your body to allow you to be still. It’s the fastest way to refresh yourself any time anywhere in your day…. Just a long, long breath out will calm your puppy mind, every time.

Stillness in your body gradually slows your mind as you reassure your mind, like a puppy, that it’s ok, for this moment, to be still. Just for this moment, allow your mind to slow as you breathe out and out and out.

You might scan your body now; notice what’s happening; whatever your puppy mind is up to is just fine. Whatever thoughts, pictures, sensations, emotions are here… notice them, allow them and breathe… You might like to get a sense of placing all of that just outside yourself as you breathe out, with soft eyes.

That’s it.

Now bring your attention back to whatever is going on inside you now. Allow that to be there. Just notice it, allow it. No need to judge or try to change it. Allow it.

Allow yourself now to let go of the past for a moment. Let go of the future too. None of that is happening now. It’s not real now. The only ‘real’ is now.

As you breathe in, know that you are here, now.

As you breathe out, let go of all thoughts of the past.

As you breathe in, know that you are here, now.

As you breathe out, let go of all thoughts of the future.

As you breathe in, know that you are here, now.

As you breathe out, know you are all you need, now.

Then ask yourself; ‘What would I like to be feeling right now?’

Choose a colour that would represent that feeling for you right now.

Breathe that colour in through your heart and out from your heart.

Breathing it in… breathing it out… allow yourself a moment to soak in that colour, bathing your puppy mind in that beautiful colour… that’s it.

Then, when you’re ready, take a nice deep breath in… and let it out… bring yourself back into this space and continue with your day.