Supporting Your Continued Mindfulness and Breathwork Journey Beyond the Courses

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky.

Conscious breathing is my anchor.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Monk)

Why is Practice Important? 

  • Research has shown that after three months of practice, participants showed significantly better temporal global efficiency in brain networks. This means their brains transmitted information more smoothly over time. (Fam et al, 2020). Long term practice has also shown growth in an area of the brain called the hippocampus that is responsible for memory (Leung et al 2021).  Changes in this brain area results in improved memory and planning.

  • Long term practice of mindfulness and breathwork also deepens self-awareness, helps manage emotions and improves stress, anxiety and low mood (Britton et al., 2012; Robins et al., 2012; Fincham et al., 2023). 

  • Long term practice of slow breathing techniques like box breathing or cyclic sighing boost heart rate variability (HRV), a biomarker linked to emotional resilience and adaptability (Balban et al., 2023). It also enhances parasympathetic activity, leading to lower heart rate and blood pressure, and reduced cortisol levels which is the stress hormone (Sheikh et al., 2024). 

  • Practice can also be done together as a group, supporting each other, building community and social connection.

“I enjoy the social side of the group meetings, I have known the people quite a long time now and I regard them as friends and we care about each other.” - Mindful Life Practice Group member 

Top Tips for Practice

Have a Goal or Intention

 A goal gives your practice purpose and a direction. Studies have found that those who had a goal for their practice, be it to reduce stress, improve concentration or just to feel more grounded in daily life, having a goal helped them achieve this (Nyklícek, I., & Kuijpers, K. F., 2008). 

“You can have direction without striving. Intention helps keep the practice alive.”

— Jon Kabat-Zinn

Openness to Practice

As the word suggests, practice emphasises building inner resources and processes. Openness to meet ourselves wherever we are at a given moment. This may feel harder on some days than others which is perfectly natural and all part of the practice.  


“Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is, and allow yourself to be exactly as you are.”  - Jon Kabat-Zinn

Building a Routine

Research has consistently shown that daily intentions strengthen habit formation (Crane et al., 2012) and once an activity becomes a habit, we are 2-3 more times likely to keep it going. 

Habit stacking is a great tool in building a habit. This is when you attach your new activity to something you already habitually do (Singh et al., 2024). For instance, doing 5 minutes of mindfulness practice, before your morning cup of tea or coffee. 

Enjoying the Practice

Practice doesn’t just need to be for the health benefits, it can also be a way to bring daily doses of enjoyment to your life. Research has also shown that building intrinsic pleasure into practice enhances our experience (Teixeira et al., 2022) Perhaps mindful practice is noticing and observing the intricate sensations when eating a slice of cake, or what a few moments of mindfulness of sounds brings in nature.