Serene Minds' Mindful Minute: Breath

Wherever you are and whatever you do, focusing on your breath for a moment goes completely unnoticed by others. Yet you will notice the effect quickly - a strengthened ability to focus. Researchers from Trinity College Doublin have found the neurophysiological link between breathing and attention, which resides in the locus coeruleus, a small area in the brainstem. Breathing directly affects the level of noradrenaline, a chemical messenger that is released when we are challenged, curious, focused and emotionally aroused. Produced at the right levels, noradrenaline helps make our emotions, thinking and memory much clearer.