1. WN# 9: MINDFUL BREATHING
Mind Up Lesson 3: The Core Practice

3. Inner and outer stillness
CONTROLLING YOUR BREATHING HELPS QUIET YOUR AMYGDALA AND ALLOWS YOUR PREFRONTAL CORTEX TO FOCUS
Sit in a comfortable position and make sure your shoulders are relaxed.
Relax your jaw. Let your eyelids get heavy. Close your eyes, if you wish.
Notice your breath coming in and going out. Don’t try to change it.
Feel your stomach rising and falling. Let your belly be soft and relaxed.
Now, see if you can breath a little more slowly and a little more deeply.
If your mind gets distracted, go back to noticing your breath.
Open your eyes slowly, take a deep breath, and smile.
HOW DID THIS BREATHING EXERCISE FEEL? DID YOUR MIND QUIET DOWN? HOW HARD WAS IT TO FOCUS YOUR MIND ON YOUR BREATHING?

4. In your WN, draw a cartoon of yourself practicing mindful listening and breathing. The picture should show you sitting quietly with a giant thought bubble overhead. What is in the bubble? What thoughts tried to distract you during our breathing exercise?

5. NEUROPLASTICITY
The brain process that creates and strengthens nerve cell connections through practice or repeated experience.
Neuroplasticity is why things get easier with practice!

6. Practicing or repeating a task causes dendrites to increase in number and size. Dendrites are the parts of your brain that pass information.
Increasing and strengthening your dendrites is one way your brain can grow!
Mindful breathing improves your brain’s ability to process information and strengthens neural pathways.

7. MINDFUL STILLNESS LOOKS LIKE SOUNDS LIKE
We look comfortable and at ease.
Our voices are silent.
Our bodies are as still as they can be.
There are no loud noises in the room.
Our eyes are closed or focused downward.
Our breathing is quiet, slow, and relaxed.
Our faces and muscles are relaxed.

8. MIND CHATTER
Sometimes, it is hard to control our “mind chatter.” As long as you continue to refocus, it will get easier!

9. CAREER CONNECTION
What are some jobs the require mindful breathing and listening to get centered before taking action?

10. Make a list of some potentially stressful situations you sometimes face. How could practicing mindful breathing help you in those situations?