Page 23 - My Indigo Sun November - December 2025

As a result, the tiny air sacs in our lungs,
called alveoli, tend to collapse, stiffening
our lungs and limiting the amount of
oxygen we can take in. When we practice
mindfulness, we can start simply by
focusing on our breathing. In the GAIN
method, we inhale slowly to a count of
three, pause to a count of three, and
exhale without effort to a count of four. We
are paying attention to our breathing, one
moment at a time. As our chest and
abdomen expand, we feel ourselves
relaxing simply through this manner of
breathing.
We then begin a self-guided tour of the
GAIN elements.
We start with the “G” in GAIN as we
acknowledge our gratitude for the gifts in
our lives – loved ones, friends, pets, living
in a relatively safe environment with a roof
over our heads. Even the simplest of things
– isn’t it a miracle that we can step into the
shower and experience warm water
cascading over us?
While continuing to breathe slowly, deeply,
and deliberately, we transition to the “A” in
GAIN, which stands for acceptance. As the
Serenity Prayer teaches us, we must
distinguish between what we can change and
what we cannot change as we ponder the
difficulties in life. We have all experienced the
loss of a loved one, illness, fractured
relationships, and other painful events. We
identify one source of pain or discomfort,
and imagine opening our chest and heart and
bringing this experience into our heart. We
hold it there, nourish it, and embrace it as we
relax our muscles. We may ask ourselves the
question, “Can I live with this pain forever?”
Eventually, the answer will be “yes.”
Next come two of the elements in Dr.
Kabat-Zinn’s mindfulness definition:
_intention_ (“on purpose”) and
_nonjudgment_, the “I” and “N” in GAIN. We
continue to breathe intentionally, drawing
our attention to our current experience –
the pressure of the chair against our
bodies, the sound of a car or airplane
passing in the distance, and the subtle
tingling at the soles of our feet. Our mind
may begin to wander after a few seconds –
we gently bring our attention back to the
present. Gradually, we will be able to abide
in the present moment for a more
extended period.
We transition to non-judgment as we
continue to expand our chest and
abdomen with each full breath. We may
picture a lovely NASA image of the Earth,
apparently suspended in space. It is a
lovely planet, but the Earth does not
possess qualities that are inherently good
or bad. It is simply the planet that it is –
neither good nor bad. It is only logical that
we, too, are neither good nor bad. We are
merely human beings. We simply are. We
might repeat the phrase, “I simply am the
person that I am. I am.”
We next return our full attention to the
breath – slow, deep, and deliberate. We
then gently open our eyes. We are ready to
go out into the world.
There are many versions of mindfulness
practice. We are well served by finding the
one that fits us best and sticking with it.
Daily practice is most productive, as we
slowly rewire our brains to pay attention to
the present moment, on purpose,
nonjudgmentally.
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