A familiar way to give something your attention.
Imagine noticing a scent you enjoy. You do not need an actual fragrance. The familiar act supplies the pace and the quality of attention.
There is no required depth, breath count, hold, inhale-to-exhale ratio, or abdominal movement. Keep the breath comfortable.
Bring that attention to the practice.
The cue belongs with the inward approach of the Relief Recipe. Once settled, notice the contact, pressure, and position of your body. A small movement gives you something else to notice.
A comfortable breath.
If the cue feels uncomfortable, return to your ordinary breathing.
Where the research fits.
Research on attention to breathing offers context for inward attention. It does not establish the benefits of this specific cue. Savoring Inhalation does not prescribe the slow breathing or diaphragmatic exercises used in other interventions.
Farb NA, Segal ZV, Anderson AK. Attentional modulation of primary interoceptive and exteroceptive cortices. Cerebral Cortex. 2013;23(1):114–126.