Hello and welcome.
Today we'll spend roughly 10 minutes together using gentle breathing to calm your anxiety.
Let's begin by acknowledging the stress many of us carry.
In the hustle and bustle of modern life our ancient fight or flight response can be and is overactive,
Keeping us in a constant state of alertness.
In this state our bodies are flooded with stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol which make our hearts race,
Our breathing quicken and our muscles tense up.
Day after day this chronic stress response leads to a build-up of tension and anxiety.
The good news is that your body also has a built in calming system,
The parasympathetic or rest and digest nervous system which acts as a brake to slow down the stress response.
By using conscious breathing we can tap into the relaxation response and shift from fight-or-flight into rest and digest mode.
This breathwork session will gently guide your nervous system towards calm and safety.
Take a moment to get comfortable either sitting upright or lying down.
Let your shoulders relax.
Now gently close your mouth allowing your lips to touch lightly.
Rest your tongue on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth.
This tongue position will help keep your jaw relaxed and your airway open.
Begin breathing in and out through your nose.
Nasal breathing is key to activating your calming reflex.
As breathing experts note,
Mouth breathing tends to keep us in fight-or-flight while nasal breathing can foster calm by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system.
Place one hand on your belly between your navel and your lower ribs.
Feel the rise and fall of your abdomen as you breathe.
Inhale slowly through your nose sending the air deep into your belly so that your hands rise with the breath.
Then exhale through the nose letting the air flow back out naturally as your belly falls.
No need to force or push the breath.
Keep it gentle smooth and quiet like a soft whisper.
As you continue breathing focus on a long slow exhale.
Imagine tension melting away each time you breathe out.
Slowing down the exhalation is especially soothing.
A slow gentle exhale sends a signal to your brain that you are safe which reduces the stress response.
Inhale deeply and exhale slowly.
Feel your diaphragm,
The muscle under your ribs.
Engage as you breathe.
This belly movement means you're breathing with your diaphragm.
Diaphragmatic breathing increases the air volume per breath and naturally slows your breathing rate helping you relax.
Each slow belly breath gives your body time to accumulate a bit more carbon dioxide before you next inhale.
This is a good thing.
A gentle build-up of carbon dioxide actually helps your blood circulate oxygen more efficiently and signals your nervous system to calm down.
It also triggers your vagus nerve which slows down your heart rate.
Now let's make the breathing light and soft.
Continue breathing through your nose but breathe a little less air than you normally would.
Smaller sips of air gently through your nose.
Imagine your nose is a tiny straw or that there's a feather under your nostrils you don't want to disturb.
Your breaths should be so quiet and light that barely any sound is heard.
This reduced volume breathing increases nasal nitric oxide production and prevents over-breathing so you retain a healthy amount of CO2.
In turn more nitric oxide in your nasal passages helps open your blood vessels and improves oxygen delivery throughout your body up to 50% more to your brain.
In other words by breathing lightly and slowly through your nose you're giving your body more oxygen where it counts and telling it to relax.
If you notice a slight urge to take a bigger breath that's okay.
It means the CO2 levels are rising a bit which will gently train your CO2 tolerance and deepen your calm.
If at any point you feel uncomfortable simply return to a deeper breath to reset.
This exercise is not supposed to stress you it's to feel soothing and safe.
Let's synchronize our breath with a calming rhythm.
We'll use a pattern of a four second inhale,
A six second exhale and a short two second pause after the exhale.
This longer exhale will further activate your relaxation response.
In the small pause will help your body comfortably build CO2 reinforcing the calm.
Let me count you in from three down to one so we can try some of this breathing.
In three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Pause one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Pause one,
Two.
Keep going for me.
Count again with me.
In three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Pause one,
Two.
Keep going.
Now I will stop counting out loud and invite you to continue this four,
Six,
Two breathing cycle silently on your own.
Keep the breaths smooth and light.
I'll keep time in the background.
Remember if the counts not quite right it does not matter.
As you breathe begin to notice the subtle changes in your body and mind.
You might feel a gentle warmth spreading through your body as your blood vessels relax and circulation improves.
Perhaps your hands or feet are tingling or feel warmer than before.
This is a normal sign that your body is shifting out of vital flight and into relaxation.
You may also notice more saliva in your mouth,
A sign that your parasympathetic rest and digest system is turning on.
If your mouth is watering a bit or you feel the urge to swallow that's a good indication that your vagus nerve is stimulated and you're entering a state of safety and calm.
Mentally you might sense a deeper calm taking hold.
Perhaps your mind is quieter or worries feel more distant.
You are cultivating a feeling of safety with each breath.
If thoughts arise that's okay.
Gently guide your attention back to the sensation of your breath flowing in and out of your nose.
Feel the cool air as it enters your nostrils and the warm as it leaves.
Continue to breathe in and out at your own gentle pace.
We'll now begin to transition out of the breath work.
Take one more deep nasal inhale filling your belly and a slow soothing exhale through your nose releasing any remaining tension.
Allow your breathing to return to a natural comfortable.
Notice how you feel compared to when you started.
Hopefully there's a sense of ease in your body,
A bit more openness in your chest and a calmer clearer state of mind.
When you're ready gently bring your awareness back to your surroundings.
If your eyes were closed gently blink them to open.
Take your time here there's no rush.
Start to wiggle your fingers and toes maybe roll your shoulders.
Feel the surface beneath you and know that you are present grounded and safe.
As a final note thank yourself for taking these minutes to care for your well-being.
Remember that at any point in your day you can return to this simple tool your breath to help shift out of stress.
Nasal breathing and slow light breaths are always available to help you reset into calm.
Carry this sense of grounded tranquility with you as you return to your day.
You are calm,
You are in control and you are ready.
Take one last gentle breath and have a peaceful rest of your day or evening.
