This is episode 1,615. Welcome to the daily meditation podcast. I'm Mary Mechley and here you are getting ready to do one of the best things you could do for yourself all day long and that is to meditate.

Whether you're seated, getting ready to close your eyes and immerse yourself into stillness or you're out walking, doing errands, simply listening to these episodes is all good.

We all start somewhere and I'm going to be sharing with you a meditation technique you can do to calm your mind and body.

Breathing techniques are one of the fastest, easiest ways to instantly relax yourself and as you do this breathing technique, keep in mind it is not just for the times you sit down and meditate.

You can do this technique whenever you feel a little frazzled or stressed. I've done this breathing technique many times when I've been in pain emotionally and physically and also when my mind wanders when I'm seated meditating.

When your mind wanders when you're meditating and it inevitably does, it happens to even long time meditators. One of the best ways to refocus your mind and to re-emerge into that beautiful inner stillness is by focusing on your breath.

And then go back into your meditation. You may need to do this a few times as you meditate and that's normal so don't feel like your mind wanders too much when you meditate.

Just know that you can calm your mind and your body. It just takes a little practice and meditation techniques help immensely.

If you want to find our full guided meditations, you can find those on the Sip and Om meditation app which you can try for two weeks free.

You get a daily guided meditation over 1600 of those that will carry you through a half hour meditation.

Although you can break off at any point you want. You also get some handy tools to take you a little more deeply into each week's series.

And that is with a journal so this week is a self-care journal and you also get a guide with the different techniques.

Each technique is organized for you on a slowdown guide. Many people find that very handy. So again it's the Sip and Om meditation app we have Android and iOS for you.

So as you get ready to settle yourself down and do today's breathing technique.

Begin to calm your mind and body and become aware of where you are holding tension or tightness in your body.

Take a nice deep inhale through your nose

and exhale through your nose releasing that tension or tightness.

Now you will be inhaling to the count of five holding your breath for the count of seven and exhaling to the count of eight.

This breath count is this breath count.

Feeling