Shadowing Practice: A BUDDHIST monk teaches you the FIRST 3 BREATHING TECHNIQUES of mindfulness - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hi, my name is Master Niels and as you can see,
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Hi, my name is Master Niels and as you can see,
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I'm a Buddhist monk.
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And if you like it,
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I can teach you everything about mindfulness.
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In this particular video, I'm going to explain
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or teach you the first three basic mindfulness techniques and they are highly effective to overcome difficulties in your life.
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So these are not the most common techniques that I'm going to give you.
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At first I will start with the breath.
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That is quite common, but how we use the breath is different from probably all the other teachings that you had before.
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These three techniques are a part of what we call the three principles of mindfulness.
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And I explain these three principles in the introduction course that I give the introduction course,
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the essence of mindfulness.
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So if you are interested in that course,
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please take a look at our website.
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It's donation based so you can join that course whenever you want to.
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Okay, so please watch this whole video because I'm going to explain the techniques to you right now.
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And we're going to start with the first one.
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So I'm going to first explain you the first three techniques.
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And after that, I will tell you how to use them in your daily life.
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Okay, before we start, I would like to tell you where we are going to focus on.
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As I already mentioned before,
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we focus on our breath,
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of course, but we're going to focus at a particular point at the inside of our nose
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and at the inside of our nostrils.
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So we have two points left and right.
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Here are my nostrils and we're going to focus at the inside of our nostrils while breathing.
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So when I breathe in and when I breathe out,
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my breath will touch my nostrils and while breathing in,
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the breath is touching my nostril from the inside and it continues into my lungs further.
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And when I breathe out, the same happens.
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The breath touches my nostrils again and it goes out.
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and this touching point here and here is exactly where we are going to focus on.
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So let's try that together.
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So you can sit in a comfortable position.
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If you cannot sit cross legs,
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you just take a chair.
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You even can do this in a well of standing.
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So now you can close your eyes just as I do and I'm gonna explain and teach you how this technique works
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first you just close your eyes and the first step that you're going to do is you pay attention to your breath.
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Feel your body while inhaling and exhaling.
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Now I want you to focus at the inside of your nostrils.
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And while breathing in and breathing out,
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You might feel a very subtle feeling of the breath that is touching your nostrils.
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Most of the time, it's easier for us to feel our inhalation because the air is a little bit cooler
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than the breath we breathe out.
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Okay, before we continue, open your eyes.
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gonna make it a little bit more easy for you to really feel those points clearly.
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So with your left with your hand with your thumb and index finger you squeeze a little bit your nostrils like this.
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So don't close your nostrils completely just squeeze a little bit in them
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and close your eyes and breathe in deeply and breathe deeply out.
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Let's do it five times.
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So two more times.
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One more time, inhale and exhale.
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Okay, release your hand and stay focused at the inside of your nostrils.
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Now breathe normally again.
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And now probably it's much easier to feel the sensation of your breath touching your nostrils at the inside.
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you stay aware of that physical sensation.
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So when we pay attention to our breath like this, we stay present.
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Because we cannot breathe in the future,
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we cannot breathe in the past.
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So when we focus on our breath,
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is a tool to stay in the present moment.
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Okay, you can open your eyes again.
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So this is what we call the third breathing technique, B3.
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So now I'm going to teach you the second one, B2.
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And that is a deep inhalation and exhalation.
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So let's try it together again.
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You can close your eyes again.
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And breathe in deeply.
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Breathe out.
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Relax.
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And again, breathe in deeply.
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And simultaneously you feel at the inside of your nostrils,
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just like the other technique.
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Breathe out.
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And again, breathe in deeply and breathe out.
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Okay, breathe normally again.
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So from the second breathing technique,
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we switch back to the third breathing technique.
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And this already has a instant effect on your mind.
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And you might feel already a bit more calm right now.
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Okay, open your eyes again.
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So we have learned the second breathing technique and the third one.
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and now I will teach you the first one.
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The first one is a short strong and shallow breath in and out and it goes like this quickly and fast.
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You can take a look and close my eyes
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and i will do it one more time okay as you could see it's very fast and strong
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It looks a bit funny though, but it's very effective.
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And when I do this technique,
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I also focus at the inside of my nostrils.
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And this technique brings you immediately to the present moment.
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Okay, let's try it together.
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You can sit upright again,
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close your eyes, and try to breathe quickly and strongly for five times.
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And after that breathe normally again.
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And again, but now for eight times, Quickly.
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Okay, very good.
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Now go back to the third breathing technique again.
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Just normal breathing.
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Still you're focusing at the inside of your nostrils.
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Okay, now I want you to stay with B3.
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And this technique you can apply during the whole day,
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during every activity with your eyes open of course.
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while doing a sitting meditation but
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when things start to be more difficult let's say I have a lot of thoughts right now
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and I cannot concentrate anymore on v3 then I apply the second breathing technique v2
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so we're gonna breathe in deeply and we're gonna breathe out deeply again okay let's go breathe in and breathe out
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And again, breathe in deeply, breathe out.
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One more time, B2, breathe in, breathe out and back to B3, normal breathing.
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And now I stay with B3 as long as I can.
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But you might get frustrated in your practice,
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during your practice, when things are not working the way you want.
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Now for example you have very strong negative thoughts,
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you cannot stop them, you cannot let go of them,
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then we use B1.
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Okay let's do that together,
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this short shallow strong breathing technique.
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Eight times, breathe in deeply.
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and we go back to B3 again.
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So B1 you use to interrupt your thinking.
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It's like stopping, stopping these negative thoughts and take control over your mind.
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Take control over the situation and we're going to do it again,
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B1 for eight times.
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Okay, back to B3.
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Now observe your mind.
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Your mind is probably much more calm right now.
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Okay, you can open your eyes again.
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see if you can stay with B3 this technique.
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So I'm still being present at my nostrils right now.
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So these are the three basic mindfulness breathing techniques and it is a matter of practice of course.
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And during all my other videos I explain you in detail how to use these three techniques,
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but also the other techniques that complete the three principles of mindfulness.
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So remember, B3 is normal breathing while focusing at the inside of your nostrils.
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B2 is a long and deep breathing.
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And B1 is short and strong and shallow.
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And B2 you use when things become a bit more hard,
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when you cannot let go of certain things.
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and when they become very strong,
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for example, when you get frustrated or you become angry,
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and you cannot control yourself,
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you take that control back with using B1.
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I suggest you to practice these three techniques for around 10 minutes a day,
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and I want you to observe how effective these techniques are.
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If you want to learn more please check on our website www.innermindinstitute.org.
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We also have an online platform where you can watch our online videos.
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So I hope you liked this video and I hope to see you soon again.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Engaging with Master Niels’ mindfulness techniques not only fosters a deeper understanding of mindfulness but also presents an excellent opportunity for English speaking practice. By shadowing his instructions, you can enhance your fluency and pronunciation in a soothing context. The meditative nature of the content allows you to absorb language at a comfortable pace, improving your conversational skills without the pressure of fast-paced dialogue. Additionally, as you learn to focus on the breath and mindfulness, you integrate emotional and contextual aspects into your speech—tools vital for effective communication.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
In the video, Master Niels uses several key grammatical structures and expressions that can enhance your own English speaking repertoire:
- Imperative sentences: Instructions like "close your eyes" and "breathe in deeply" emphasize direct action, which is essential in guiding listeners.
- Present continuous tense: Phrases such as "we are going to focus" highlight ongoing actions and intentions, perfect for expressing current plans in conversation.
- Modal verbs: The use of modals like "can" and "should" indicates ability and obligation, crucial for polite suggestions in English.
- Descriptive language: Descriptions such as "the air is a little bit cooler" help provide clarity and sensory details that enhance understanding and engagement.
Common Pronunciation Traps
When practicing with this mindfulness video, pay attention to certain pronunciation aspects to avoid common traps:
- Breath (brɛθ) vs. Breathing (ˈbriːðɪŋ): These words have subtle differences in vowel sounds; ensure clarity in each when shadowing.
- Nostrils (ˈnɒstrəlz): The initial 'n' and the 'str' consonant cluster can be tricky; practice emphasizing each sound.
- Focus (ˈfoʊkəs): The vowel sound and stress patterns may vary depending on your accent; try to keep the emphasis on the first syllable.
By incorporating these elements into your shadow speech practice, you'll learn English with YouTube in a way that is both engaging and effective. Remember, consistent practice can lead to improved pronunciation and fluency—making you a more confident speaker in your daily conversations.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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