Mindfulness of Breath:
Breath is like an anchor in the midst of a stormy sea. It can anchor you in stillness, beneath the stormy waves of the mind. It anchors us in the present and relieves us from dwelling on the past, which is gone, and the future, which has not yet arrived. The only moment we can live is the present moment.

With each inhalation, the lungs fill and we are energized. When we exhale, we release and relax. With mindfulness of breath, we can find a balance between effort and relaxation. Noticing the pause, the still point between the breaths, reminds us of the wisdom of pausing when completing one activity and beginning the next. This can be a moment of reflection on our intention, of collecting ourselves and becoming centered and relaxed.

When we become more aware, more reflective, we can develop more wisdom and gain a measure of peace in our minds and our lives. This is not an exercise meant to control the breath in any way, but to simply notice the natural rhythm of our breathing, which reflects the natural rhythm of our day as we move from one activity to the next.

Mindfulness of Body:
We can notice how and where tension accumulates in our body through stopping and simply being aware of how we are feeling in our body. Whenever we simply imagine something that has happened in the past, or may happen in the future, our body reacts to the emotions we experience by releasing chemicals, as though the event is actually happening in the present. Some of these chemicals released produce a harmful stress response in the body, while others can enhance our well-being. We can expand our mindfulness of breath to include mindfulness of the body, by being aware of the place in the body where we feel stress, and by breathing into that area and relaxing as we breathe out.

Mindfulness of Thoughts:
Our mind contains an endless flow of thoughts, voices from the past, memories, fears, and expectations regarding the future. We are often so focused on these things that we miss out on much of life that we are experiencing right now. We can become more aware of the space in the mind that is the container for these thoughts, so that we can observe them and not identify with them, but simply observe the thoughts and be a witness to the feelings and emotions that such memories, fears, and expectations may create. The presence of space in the mind is like a still, open sky - a clear background for all that arises out of the stillness and returns and dissolves into it again.

All our thoughts are impermanent, rising and falling like waves on the sea, or arising and dissolving like clouds in the sky. The content of our mind is always changing. Our thoughts are like a flowing river we cannot bring to a stop. However, instead of bobbing along the waves, being swept along by the current, we can sit peacefully on the bank and simply observe the flow.