Expanding your breath,
Expand your life,
A ribcage breathing meditation with Angelica Janic.
Welcome to this guided meditation on ribcage breathing.
This practice will help you to connect deeply with your breath and find peace and relaxation in the present moment.
Taking a comfortable seat,
Either on a chair,
On the floor with a cushion underneath your bones,
And give yourself a few moments to unwind from your day,
Allowing your spine to be straight,
Your shoulders to be relaxed,
Settling yourself in this comfortable position and closing your eyes.
Without adding any technique,
Simply observe the organic breath.
Notice the quality.
Notice how and where you are breathing in your body.
Whenever your mind wanders,
Do your best to just bring yourself back into this moment of focusing and paying attention to your breath without judging yourself,
Without frustration.
Just gently bring yourself back.
As you are here seated,
Slightly tuck your tailbone so you can feel the lower abdominals activate,
Lifting up through the ribcage,
The heart center,
And then soften your shoulders to find a little bit more length in the spinal column.
Now let's start by taking deep breaths in through your nose,
Filling up your lungs completely,
And then exhale slowly through your mouth,
Releasing all the air.
Let's repeat this inhale and exhale a few more times,
Focusing on the sensation of the air entering and then leaving your body.
Naturally,
As you tuck the tailbone to engage your core,
You will begin to breathe a little more fully into the ribcage,
Bringing your full attention to your ribcage.
Notice the way it expands as you inhale and contracts as you exhale.
Feel the rise and fall of your ribcage,
As if it were a gentle wave in the ocean.
As you inhale,
Allow your ribcage to fully expand,
Feeling the breath moving all the way down to the lower lobes of the lungs.
And as you exhale,
Allow the ribcage to gently contract,
Feeling all of the breath releasing from your body,
Continuing to breathe in and now out of the nose,
If you've still been breathing out of the mouth,
To gain more control.
You may naturally tap into what's known as ujjayi breath as you exhale.
Ujjayi breath is creating slight constriction at the pit of the lungs,
The pit of the throat.
Oceanic like breathing it is also known as.
If you're tapping into ujjayi breath naturally,
Continue.
If you are still unaware of the sound,
Inhale through the nose.
On your next exhale,
Exhale out of the mouth as if you're trying to fog up a mirror.
That sound,
That constriction at the pit of the throat is known as your ujjayi breath.
Continue in and out of the nose,
And again.
If your mind wanders,
Simply acknowledge the thoughts and gently bring yourself back to your breath and your ribcage.
As you continue to breathe deeply into your ribcage,
You may start to feel a sense of calmness and relaxation spreading throughout your body.
This is the power of deep breathing and focusing on the present moment.
Coming into stage two of this ribcage breathing technique.
Wiggle your fingertips,
Continue to breathe in and out of the nose,
Focusing on the ribcage.
But this time,
Bring your palms around the ribcage base.
Threaded in between each individual rib are your intercostal muscles.
Let's activate them a little more.
On your next inhale,
Allow the ribs to expand up,
Out,
And even into the back of the body.
As you exhale,
Apply pressure now into the palms,
Activating the biceps and triceps to help push the air out of the body,
Contracting the ribcage tightly together.
Perhaps the front of your fingertips touch.
Continue to do this for a few more rounds,
Aiding in the exhalation,
Releasing any stagnant air,
Any toxic buildup.
This will also help to increase your lung capacity.
Whenever you feel stressed or your body feels anxious or overwhelmed,
Taking as deep of a breath as you can,
Hold your breath for as long as you can,
But take your exhalation from the mouth.
You may repeat that as many times as you need to find a sense of serenity,
Softness in through your neck,
And surrender in through your shoulder blades.
You're welcome to continue with this stage 2 of your palms around the ribcage,
Or allow the palms to rest back down on your knees and try to find that same level of expansion and fullness without the use of the hands.
You're here for just a few more breaths,
Stick to it.
You're welcome to stay here,
Breathing deeply,
Focusing on your ribcage for as long as you'd like today,
For as long as you have time.
But do take a moment to notice how you feel.
You may feel more grounded,
Centered,
And calm,
Remembering that you can always come back to this practice whenever you need to find a moment of peace and relaxation.
Letting go of the technique and start to come to a regular,
Organic,
Easy flowing breath.
Lick the lips,
Swallow any saliva,
And then allow the teeth to gently part,
The tongue to rest soft in the middle of the mouth,
And just rest here,
Still,
For a few more mindful breaths.
When you are ready to end your practice,
Take a moment of gratitude,
Thanking yourself for taking this time for your well-being.
Slowly begin to open the eyes.
Have you enjoyed this meditation?
Be sure to come back and share with your loved ones.
