Adapt the practice to your ordinary range of movement, attention, and available space.
Start from the position you already use
The seated version is a full way to take part, not a lesser version of lying down. Choose a familiar, stable place where you can rest comfortably. If you use a wheelchair or other supported seating, keep your usual arrangements rather than transferring for the sake of this exercise. This course does not teach transfers, changes to mobility equipment, or a new therapeutic posture.
Let your usual supports do their work. A backrest, chair arms, or a cushion in your lap may be useful if you already find them comfortable. You do not need to sit at the edge of the chair, straighten every curve, or hold your shoulders in a prescribed position. Ask whether the arrangement is workable for the next moment, rather than whether it looks like a meditation pose.
Reduce reaching and holding
An image may show both hands raised, but the important information is the option being illustrated, not a requirement to copy it. Try one hand at a time if that is easier, leave one hand in its usual resting place, or keep both hands supported throughout. If moving an arm requires effort you do not want to make, leave it where it is comfortable.
For example, Ruth sits with a cushion across her lap. Reaching across to her upper arm feels awkward, so she uses a light forearm rest instead. Later, she decides even that is unnecessary and returns both hands to the cushion. Nothing has gone wrong with the exercise. She has used the instructions to make a choice, rather than using her body to satisfy the instructions.
No touch does not mean hovering
A no-touch choice can mean simply resting your hands separately in your lap while following the exercise. You do not have to suspend your hands above a body area. Holding them in the air may become tiring, which would defeat the purpose of choosing an easier option. If you do briefly hold a hand nearby, lower it whenever you wish.
You can also let the focus be an ordinary object in front of you, the words on the page, or contact with the chair. You are not required to inspect every body sensation. The purpose of these choices is to let you engage without forcing a form of attention that you dislike. If none appeals, finish the exercise and keep the information for another day.
Keep ordinary breathing and open eyes available
You may notice your breath without altering it, or leave it outside your attention altogether. There is no breath-holding stage, required count, or test of how deeply you can breathe. NHS breathing guidance emphasizes comfort and not forcing. Our practice uses that modest principle, rather than reproducing a breathing treatment. If an instruction about breath feels unhelpful, return attention to the room or your supported hands.
Eyes can remain open for the whole practice. You might look at a plain part of the wall or let your gaze move normally. There is no need to stare without blinking. If closing your eyes feels welcome, you may do so and open them again at any time. You are not interrupting anything by checking where you are or reading the next step.
Choose a shorter or simpler version
A complete version can consist of settling, resting your hands, and closing. The word complete refers to having a clear beginning and ending, not to covering a certain number of body areas. You can practise this outline while seated before an ordinary activity, provided you are free to give it attention. Do not add it to a task where attention needs to remain elsewhere.
If you already follow professional advice about positioning, activity, or a health condition, keep that advice in place. Ask the relevant professional about adaptations that fall outside your usual comfortable movement. Within the course, the simplest alternative is always available: supported hands, ordinary breathing, eyes open if preferred, and permission to stop. Take that outline into Gentle self-practice and make the exercise your own.
Sources and further reading
- NHS: Breathing exercises for stress — Background for supported sitting, comfortable clothing, and not forcing the breath. The course does not reproduce the NHS timed breathing exercise.