Take three breaths on the platformdailyroutine

This is a daily routine for time in motion and pause. Use “Take three breaths on the platform” to bring a little wellness into the gaps of your day.

When you stand on a subway platform, you mostly look at the screen. Minutes until the next train, messages you missed, feeds you didn't see yesterday. The body is standing, but the head is already somewhere else.

Three breaths before the train comes—less than 30 seconds. That short interval becomes a turning point between transfers and transfers, and between going to work and going to work. It's the smallest of breaks on the move, but can be repeated several times a day.

This routine is not a workout. Rather than prolonging your breathing, it's more like a brief pause.

At the place where my feet stopped

Stand inside the yellow line on the edge of the platform and put the screen down or put it in your pocket. Lower your shoulders once and feel the soles of your feet touching the floor. Leave out the noise around you—announcements, people’s footsteps—and just focus on your breathing.

One minute before the train arrives is sufficient. If you start too early, it's boring, and if it's too late, you jump right into boarding mode. That brief pause of waiting on the platform is where this routine takes place.

You can begin your breathing after the small movement of straightening your bag or tucking your hair behind your ear. After your body stops, you can breathe better.

Rhythm of three breaths

First breath: Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds. Second: As you inhale, just notice that your chest expands slightly. Third: As you exhale, see if your chin and forehead relax.

After three, the train comes in, or there's still some time left—it doesn't matter either way. The transition has already happened. Once the door opens, you can get in as usual. However, you board with your body a beat looser than at the previous station.

Sometimes the effect is greater in stations with more people. Finding a moment of silence in the middle of a crowded platform—the contrast stays with you.

You don't have to do it every time. You can only do this on days when there are a lot of transfers, or on days when you are tired and walk with the automatic pilot. 30 seconds of stillness is the smallest break you can take several times a day.

You don't need a meditation app for three breaths. Just standing there on the platform and waiting for 30 seconds is everything. When you breathe into the gaps between movements, there are days when your body feels a little lighter throughout the day.

First stop on the way to work, return after lunch, last stop after work—three times a day is enough. Rather than increasing the number, recalling it at the moment you remember it will last longer.

Even if you are wearing earphones, you can take three breaths just for a moment while standing on the platform. Transitions occur even without complete silence.

When you board the train after taking three breaths, your first small accomplishment of the day is over.