🌬️ Breathe · 🧘 Be here · 🟢 Free for everyone
🧘 Mindfulness & Breathing
🌊 Your breath is always with you. One slow breath is a beginning. Tap what you need.
💚 A personal note from Nathanael: “A therapist I deeply respect has strongly recommended mindfulness and breathing practices to me. I couldn’t agree more with her, and I wish I had taken more of her advice. I’m sharing these resources as an invitation to begin again, gently.”
🌬️ Breathe with me now (1 minute)
🪑 Sit comfortably. Let your shoulders drop. Then try this simple mindful breath, adapted from a practice taught by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center:
- 👃 Breathe in gently through your nose for a count of 4.
- ⏸️ Rest for a count of 4 (skip the hold if it feels uncomfortable).
- 🍃 Breathe out slowly for a count of 6, a little longer than the in-breath.
- 🔁 Repeat a few times, then notice: what feels different now?
💡 If your mind wanders, that’s normal. Noticing it and coming back is the practice. 🎉 Every return counts as a win.
🎥 Meet Jon Kabat-Zinn
🌱 Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn is the scientist and teacher who brought mindfulness into mainstream medicine. In 1979 he founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and MBSR is now offered in hundreds of hospitals worldwide. In this free talk he explains what mindfulness is, then guides the audience through a practice you can follow along with at home.
ℹ️ The JKZ Meditations app is free to download and includes his 45-minute Body Scan plus three more free practices. The full library is a paid subscription.
🌟 Our featured book
📗 Mindfulness for Beginners
Reclaiming the Present Moment—and Your Life
by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD · Sounds True
🌿 If you only read one book about mindfulness, start here. It is short, warm, and practical, and it comes with five guided meditations read by Dr. Kabat-Zinn himself. You can use it three ways:
- 📅 One lesson a day, like a gentle daily habit
- 📖 Cover to cover, as a friendly introduction
- 🌲 Open to any page when you need a moment of calm
🤝 Kitchen Monk makes no money from this recommendation. We simply believe in it. 💡 Many public libraries also lend the ebook and audiobook free through apps like Libby.
🫁 Breathing exercises for your lungs
💪 The American Lung Association teaches two simple exercises that help many people with asthma, COPD, and other lung conditions breathe more easily. Practice them when your breathing feels normal, about 5 to 10 minutes a day, so they’re ready when you need them.
🕯️ Pursed-lip breathing
- 🪑 Sit down and relax your neck and shoulders.
- 👃 Breathe in slowly through your nose, mouth closed (count “one, two”).
- 💋 Purse your lips as if blowing out a candle.
- 🌬️ Breathe out slowly and gently, about twice as long as you breathed in.
🎈 Belly (diaphragmatic) breathing
- ✋ Rest one hand on your belly and one on your chest.
- 👃 Breathe in through your nose and let your belly rise like a balloon.
- 💋 Breathe out slowly through pursed lips and feel your belly fall. Your chest stays fairly still.
⚠️ Breathing exercises support your care; they never replace it. If you have asthma or COPD, keep following your action plan and use your rescue inhaler as prescribed. If you’re struggling to breathe, your lips or fingertips look blue or gray, or breathing doesn’t ease after a few minutes, call 911.
🎧 Free guided meditations
🌼 Press play and follow along. All free, no account needed for the UCLA recordings.
⭐ Go deeper: the 8-week course (MBSR)
🌲 Ready for more? Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is Dr. Kabat-Zinn’s eight-week program. You can take a complete version free, at your own pace.
🎖️ For Veterans
🇺🇸 Mindful awareness sits at the center of VA Whole Health. Many VA medical centers offer free mindfulness classes; ask your local VA.
🤍 Go gently. Mindfulness helps many people, but it isn’t a cure or a replacement for medical or mental-health care. Stillness can sometimes stir up hard feelings, especially after trauma. You can open your eyes, move, or stop anytime. A therapist or clinician can help you find the practice that fits you.
🧭 Keep exploring
ℹ️ About this page
✍️ Written by Nathanael Elijah Smith, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, DipACLM, with AI-assisted drafting · 🔍 Independent external review: not yet completed · 📅 Last updated: October 8, 2026 · 📚 Key sources: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jon Kabat-Zinn’s books, American Lung Association, Greater Good Science Center, UCLA Mindful, NCCIH, VA Whole Health.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sounds True, Bookshop.org, Google, the American Lung Association, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UMass Memorial Health, the NIH, and the VA are independent. None sponsors, endorses, reviewed, or is affiliated with Kitchen Monk, and no payment is received. Breathing steps are summarized in our own words from the sources above. General education only, not personal medical advice. ✉️ Send a correction
🌱 Start with one minute
Sit in a position that supports your body. Keep your eyes open if you prefer. Notice your feet resting on the ground, a sound nearby, or the natural movement of your breath. When your attention wanders, gently return. There is no need to empty your mind, take a very deep breath, or hold your breath. Start with one minute and increase only if it feels helpful.
If focusing on breathing makes you uncomfortable, choose sounds or contact with the chair instead. Stop if you feel dizzy, breathless, or more distressed. Breathing practices do not replace prescribed respiratory treatment or mental-health care.
📚 Explore the free resource directory
Choose one resource to begin. The linked practices below are public and free to access; some providers also sell separate books, courses, or subscriptions. Follow the creator’s links for the latest recordings and access details.
🌬️ NHS: gentle breathing for stress
Free written guidance for comfortable, unforced breathing. Counting is optional.
🎧 UCLA Mindful: guided meditation library
Free guided practices, multilingual resources, and links to weekly meditations and talks.
🎖️ VA: mindfulness and meditation exercises
Public guided practices including mindfulness of breathing, a brief breathing space, and Spanish-language practices. Local clinical programs may have eligibility requirements.
🌲 Palouse Mindfulness: free self-paced MBSR
An eight-week learning sequence with readings, videos, body scans, mindful eating, walking, and compassion practices. Independent of Jon Kabat-Zinn; not a professional credential.
🤍 Tara Brach: guided meditations
Public guided meditations for awareness and compassion. Explore the practice descriptions to choose what fits.
🌿 Jack Kornfield: free guided meditations
Free practices and teachings including loving-kindness, walking, and gratitude.
🫶 Kristin Neff: self-compassion practices
Public self-compassion exercises and guided practices. Other offerings on the site may cost money.
🌼 Chris Germer: free guided meditations
Free recordings for personal practice in mindful self-compassion; follow the creator’s terms for downloads.
🏥 Memorial Sloan Kettering: meditation and relaxation library
Public guided recordings developed to accompany cancer treatment and beyond, with different lengths and styles.
🔬 NIH NCCIH: effectiveness and safety
A research overview to help you understand possible benefits, limitations, and adverse experiences.
📅 Resource links reviewed October 8, 2026. This is a curated directory, not every resource on the internet. Availability can change. The linked creators and institutions are independent; listing them does not imply partnership or endorsement.
📚 Explore Jon Kabat-Zinn’s books — including Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment—and Your Life, Wherever You Go, There You Are, and Full Catastrophe Living. These are paid books; library borrowing depends on local availability and membership.
