If you’ve ever sat down to meditate, closed your eyes, and immediately felt bombarded by a baseline of mental noise, you are not alone. And you’ve not failed at meditation.

The noticing of thoughts and acknowledgement of a busy mind is part of the meditation practice. But the discomfort experienced in these moments can very easily put people off and create feelings of frustration.

When the mind feels too busy to slow, it’s easy to walk away and say ‘hey maybe meditation is not for me’. But there is another way in. And this is when we turn to our breath.

Breath as the entryway

Breathwork can be a helpful entryway into meditation because it approaches the practice through the body first. And when we use the body to help find physical stillness and calm, mental stillness and calm can follow, creating better conditions for us to settle into meditation.

And the good news is, it is very simple and very gentle. We start by closing the mouth and breathing just through the nose. Within a few minutes of slow, smooth inhalation and exhalation through the nose with our attention focused on the movement of our breath through the body, we begin to inform our nervous system that we are safe.

From here, the body can begin to relax. Heart rate lowers, the shoulders drop, and tension throughout the body is gently released.

At the same time, your brain chemistry shifts. The fast, busy gamma waves that dominate during stress and overthinking start to slow into calm but focused alpha waves.

This combination of breath awareness and gentle breathwork created the perfect environment to relax into a meditative state. All from slowing and controlling your breathing.

Find the breath, and the stillness will follow

This is why I always position meditation at the end of my breathwork sessions. So everyone has had enough time to close out the busyness of their day, relax into their bodies and feel ready to step into the deeper practice of meditation.

This isn't a new concept I’ve pioneered. In traditional yogic practices, breathwork (pranayama) has often been taught as a precursor to meditation (dhyana).

• Breathwork helps give us a sense of control over our state
• Mindfulness meditation helps us be okay with whatever state we are in

So for those who struggle to quiet a busy mind and surrender to the stillness of meditation, breathwork can be the perfect pairing to relieve frustration and more gently begin or strengthen a meditation practice.

How to use the breath as your meditative anchor

In meditation, we pair the contents of our consciousness with conscious awareness. It’s about stepping back and recognising the experience of awareness itself, as opposed to getting lost in our everyday thinking mind.

To do that, you need an object to focus on. The physical sensations of your breath are the perfect attention point.

• Before you start: start with 3 to 5 minutes of slow, intentional nasal breathing. Focus entirely on the inhale and the exhale to shift those brainwaves from gamma to alpha. Once you feel settled, you can let go of the structured breathing and just exist in that quiet space.
• If you get lost: If you’re meditating and notice your mind has run off into a grocery list or a memory, don’t worry. Accept the thoughts that greet you and let them pass by. Focus again on your breathing and use the physical sensations to anchor you back to the present moment.

A technique to try right now: Coherent Breathing

A technique you can do anywhere, anytime you are feeling overwhelmed or needing some moments of stillness, try Coherent Breathing. It is one of the most evidence-backed techniques I teach, and it is also one of the simplest.

1. Sit comfortably and breathe slowly and evenly in and out through your nose.
2. Breathe in for 4 seconds.
3. Breathe out for 4 seconds.
4. Repeat this loop for 5 to 20 minutes. Keeping the breath smooth and even.

You can use this practice entirely on its own to reset your day, or use it as a 10-minute warm-up before you plan to meditate.

Don’t let frustration win

Remember, there is no right way or wrong way to meditate. Noticing busy thoughts is part of the practice and something that will always be part of the experience, whether you’re practising for 30 seconds or 30 years.

The addition of breathwork before your meditation practice can help alleviate some of the mental busyness and help you feel more settled, removing some of the frustration and enabling you to better relax and settle. Try it next time you sit down to meditation and see how it makes you feel. You might be surprised at the difference this small but powerful practice can make.

- Written by our Breathwork Facilitator, Emma Cole