Mantra Breathing: A Simple Solution to Stop Your Mind From Wandering During Breathing Exercises

Frustrated or distracted by your mind wandering when you’re doing a deep breathing or formal meditation practice? Try practicing mantra breathing. It’s a very simple solution that can help you focus on your breath and stop your mind from wandering.

How to Use Mantra Breathing

The mantra I like the best, the mantra that I use myself and that I teach all my coaching clients, is to repeat the mantra to yourself silently, “This is my inhale. This is my exhale.” Each time I inhale, I say to myself, “This is my inhale,” and then I exhale and repeat, “This is my exhale” over and over again. It really is that simple!

Why Mantra Breathing Works

There are a few reasons why mantra breathing works, first of which is that our brains are not good at multitasking. I used to teach this in my Psych 101 courses all the time.

We can only focus on one thing at a time, and sometimes we really need to give our brains something to focus on. If we don’t like where the mind is wandering on its own, we need to focus it on something specific. Having that mantra is really helpful. It gives the brain something to focus on.

Another thing is that our mind wandering and having thoughts pop up is a natural process for us. That’s how our brains work. We wouldn’t want our brains to not be thinking. So, the goal isn’t to stop our thoughts. It’s to practice redirecting them, recognizing when our mind wanders, and then coming back to the present moment.

Having that mantra gives you something to fall back on when the mind wanders during a breathing practice, which it will, that’s okay. You just bring it back to wherever you are in the process. Go back to that mantra, and it helps to interrupt those thought patterns, which tend to not be that positive.

Another thing is an extension of the previous point. Mantra breathing is a way to practice being mindful. The definition that’s generally accepted of mindfulness is that it’s purposely paying attention in the present moment without judgment.

When we have this mantra, it’s something that brings our attention back to the present moment, our breath. It helps us to be here right now, thinking about our inhale and exhale at a level that we typically don’t give our attention.

So long as we’re not judging ourselves when our mind is wandering or being negative about it, then this is an actual way to practice being mindful. People are always asking me, “What does mindfulness mean and how do I do it?” Mantra breathing is one way to practice.

I also like this practice in particular, because anything you do to strengthen your ability to come back to your breath and to use that to calm yourself down is an evidence-based way to decrease your stress, decrease your anxiety, and build your resilience. You can practice this mantra breathing regularly. You use it when you find yourself stressed out or anxious. You’re going to be able to calm yourself down much quicker, much more effectively than if you didn’t have a practice like this.

Finally, the reason I really like the mantra, “this is my inhale, this is my exhale,” is when you say it slowly, it’s about a five second inhale and a five second exhale. We know from James Nestor’s book Breath that  is known as coherent breathing. In other words, the perfect breath is about a five to six second inhale and a five to six second exhale. If you need something more than just simple counting the mantra, “this is my inhale, this is my exhale,” is very helpful.

Mantra Breathing Demonstration

Let’s practice for a few breaths.

If you’re in a place where you’re comfortable, you can close your eyes or simply look down and soften your gaze. And just start to pay attention to your breath. Notice your inhale. Notice your exhale. Notice your breath as it enters at the tip of your nose. It feels slightly cool. Follow it down your lungs and back out again, leaving your body warmer than when it entered. And start to slow that breath down by pulling it down into your belly. So instead of breathing into your chest, breathe down and into your belly.

Let’s practice this mantra for a few breaths. On your next breath cycle and your next inhale, just silently say to yourself, “this is my inhale, this is my exhale.” And again, “this is my inhale, this is my exhale.” And one more time. “This is my inhale. This is my exhale.” It’s as simple as that.

The next time you find yourself in need of something to focus on when you’re trying to breathe and calm yourself down, try this mantra breathing practice. It does not have to feel overwhelming. We can use these simple techniques for feeling calmer and being healthier.

If you like this type of content, consider signing up for Take Five. It’s my newsletter where I share simple science-based solutions for a calmer, healthier life. In the meantime, give mantra breathing a try this week and let me know how it goes.