This is the complete exhale,
A somatic exploration to encourage deep breathing.
Arrange yourself so you're lying comfortably or sitting in a comfortable,
Supported way,
And begin by noticing your breath.
With no judgment,
No need to adjust anything,
Just notice what does the breath feel like as it enters your body.
Bring your awareness to your chest and notice.
Do you feel any movement there as you breathe?
Do you feel any movement in your belly?
Just notice.
Sometimes,
Especially if we're anxious,
It can feel difficult to take a deep breath.
And if there's tension in our abdomen or lower back,
It can be physically difficult to take a deep breath.
Our breath feels blocked.
One principle that we use in somatics is to do more of what you're already doing.
This will wake up the brain to what's happening in your body and allow you to shift into a new pattern.
So rather than just trying harder to breathe deeper into our tight bellies and ribs,
We're going to do more of what we're doing by further tightening and using the tightness to help us fully exhale and then let go,
Inviting in a deeper breath.
I'm going to describe this exploration,
Which is a complete exhale.
Just listen first,
And then I'll guide you to try it.
So visualize with me.
In just a moment,
You're going to exhale every last bit of air out.
You'll squeeze your abdomen,
Your chest,
And ribs until you feel you've expelled all the air.
When you release this squeeze,
The breath will naturally be drawn into the body in a deeper way.
And you can continue this new pattern of deep breathing.
So now try it with me.
Inhale to prepare,
And then as you exhale,
Keep exhaling,
Blowing the air out until you have to squeeze the belly,
Squeeze the ribs,
Push every last bit out,
And then gently let go of that squeeze.
Notice how the air is drawn in more fully.
And now,
Continue to breathe in fuller,
Deeper breaths.
If you didn't feel that,
Try it again.
It can sometimes take practice for your brain to let go and feel the pattern.
Once you are breathing deeper,
Continue with these deep breaths for the next full minute.
Continue with these deep breaths for the next full minute.
As you do so,
Can you invite the breath a little more fully into your ribs?
Can you invite the breath a little deeper,
Down toward your pelvis?
As you breathe,
Notice how much space this deeper breath takes up in your body.
Ten seconds remaining.
Beautiful.
Now,
Let yourself relax into your regular,
Comfortable breath pattern.
This exploration is now a tool you can access to build your awareness and shift into fuller breathing patterns whenever you need it.
