Feel Fabulous in 15 minutes – mindfulness & breath work

Quick and simple mindfulness and breathing practice to restore a sense of calm and clarity.

A self-care routine to calm the mind, feel grounded and gain clarity.

You may be familiar with the book and practice ‘Ten to Zen’ by Owen O’Kane. If not, it’s about a 10 minute mental workout you can do daily so your thoughts can become more helpful, improve decision-making and emotional regulation.

I’d like to put forward my own version which I have found very beneficial and I’ve called it – ‘Feel Fabulous in 15 minutes’. This is very very simple, has three parts which are easy to remember and highly effective in my personal experience.

In this version, I suggest you find a quiet space, perhaps lieing down on your bed at the end of the day or before sleeping. The purpose of Feel Fabulous in 15 or ‘3Fs’ is to bust the stress you’ve been accumulating during the day and feel calmer, more relaxed and better in control and more mindful of your thoughts.

You need to set a timer for 15 minutes. I’d suggest use the free app ‘Insight Timer’ and set a gong or chime which you can easily select to go off every 5 minutes. One at the end of the first 5 minutes, at 10 minutes and finally at the very end of the practice at 15 minutes.

So to start, lay down. Feel the weight of your body pressing into whatever is supporting you. Have you hands and arms relaxed and a little away from your sides. Have your legs slightly apart and feet pointing away from each other. Once you’ve experienced the feeling of having your weight supported and feel grounded, you are ready to begin 3Fs.

Abdominal breaths

Start the timer, close your eyes and begin to take a few abdominal breaths. The purpose of this is to prepare you for some deep breathing. Your abdomen should be rising and chest relatively still. You can have your hands on your abdomen and feel the rise and fall as your breathe. Take some more slow breaths and build up the fullness of the breath in the belly. Keep doing this. Breathe in through your nose and slowly exhale out from the mouth. Enjoy the feeling.

Now once you’ve become settled – breathe in through your nose and as you do this count for 4 seconds – as ‘1000’, ‘2000’, ‘3000’, ‘4000’. Now hold that breathe at the top of the inhalation for 10 – 12 seconds counting down in the same fashion. You will feel your core tense as you hold this breath. Then carefully, and slowly release the breath through your mouth for 4 – 6 seconds counting down in the same fashion. As you release the breath, at the end of the breath sit with it and momentarily enjoy the feeling of emptying and exhalation, let that feeling linger as you release the breath.

Feel everything release, notice how you are feeling, the beating of your heart. Repeat this process until you hear a gong or chime at the end of the first 5 minutes. You will feel a big release of tension from the body and your mind will start to calm down.

Observing your stream of consciousness

The next section of the practice is to observe your thoughts. Whatever is arising and passing. With your eyes closed, periodically return to the blackness behind your eyelids as you notice thoughts coming and going. Be careful not to get caught up in the stories of your thoughts but when you do come back to the blackness behind your eyelids and acknowledge that thought. Stay mindful and accepting of what comes up during this 5 minute section. This section helps us to be more mindful of our day-to-day thinking by noticing as an observer.

Gently returning to the breath

At the end of 10 minutes and the start of the final 5 minute section return your attention to the breath. Place your hands on your abdomen and be aware of your inhalation through the nose, the feel of the air on the nostrils, the air at the back of the throat and the rising of the abdomen against your hands placed loosely on there.

Exhale gently, returning to the breath every time the mind wanders. Your mind will wander, that’s perfectly normal. When it does, return to the breath. Think about the qualities of the exhalation and inhalation, every breath being unique from the last. Try and and use your senses to really feel the breath.

You will be becoming more and more grounded, more and more relaxed, more calm and have more clarity of thought as your progress. Finally, as the gong sounds or chimes for the last time take one last breath and notice the feeling of comfort, how your body is being held and sense of calmness. Just lay there for a while with no intention to do anything. You may notice a nice warm feeling all around your body.

The 3 parts are: i. deep breathing; ii. observing your stream of thoughts and finally iii. paying attention to the breath.

If you’re pushed for time, or don’t have the inclination

If you’re pushed for time, or don’t have the inclination to practice for fifteen minutes then do 15 abdominal breaths and feel all that tension release as a stress-buster.

I’ve been finding this 3Fs version to be very beneficial. It’s a great practice and I think it releases all of my tension which has built up during the course of the day. I also take into the next day an awareness of my thoughts and thinking patterns and I am better able to determine if I am thinking helpfully or unhelpfully, noticing more acutely when emotions come up or sensations in particular parts of the body. Give this a try or add this to your daily practice and let me know how you get on.

Looking for more mindfulness, breathing and relaxation techniques? Have a read of my ‘Breathing techniques to zap anxiety‘ blog article.

If you suffer from a respiratory disorder, or unsure whether breathing exercise is right for you then check-in with your GP.