Welcome to this breathwork session designed to help you release the stress and tension that often comes with travel.
Whether you've faced long lines,
Tight schedules,
Delays or the mental clutter of planning,
It's easy to feel overwhelmed.
Take a moment to recognise this.
Much of what we stress about is out of our control.
That flight delay,
Forgotten item or an unexpected hiccup in your plans.
These are not worth the toll they take on your mind and body.
Stressing over them,
Although easy and normal to do,
Will not change the outcome.
In fact,
As we all know,
It often amplifies the frustration and makes us less equipped to handle challenges.
When you choose to focus on your breath,
You take a simple yet powerful step towards reclaiming your calm and composure.
This practice will help you release what's unnecessary,
Put things into perspective and attract a sense of ease and balance.
Let's begin together.
Sit comfortably in your seat.
You've checked all your luggage.
You're now settled.
Your excess luggage is in the overhead compartment.
So feel the support of the seat beneath you and let your body rest back into the chair.
Place your feet flat on the floor,
If possible,
Or let them rest where they feel comfortable.
Allow your hands to rest on your lap or by your sides.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze if that feels better and take a moment to simply notice your breath as it is.
Bring your attention to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Mouth is closed.
All the breathing is done through the nose.
Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth.
Feel the cool air entering your nose and the warm air as it leaves.
Keep your mouth gently closed throughout this practice and focus only on breathing in and out of your nose.
Place one hand on your stomach and notice the movement.
With each breath,
Aim to reduce the volume of your breathing so that the hand on your stomach moves more gently and subtly as time goes on.
Inhale softly and hold for a count of two,
Then exhale slowly.
Pause briefly at the end of the exhale before the next breath.
I'll take you through a few cycles now.
So I'll count you down from three,
Two,
One.
Inhale softly,
Hold for two.
Exhale slowly,
Pausing at the end.
Then inhale softly again,
Hold for a count of two.
Then exhale slowly,
Pause briefly at the end of each exhale before your next breath.
Keep going for me.
We'll now move into a technique called box breathing,
Which is excellent for calming the mind and steadying the nervous system.
You inhale for four seconds through your nose.
You hold in this instance just for two seconds,
And you exhale for four and pause for two.
It can be done four,
Four,
Four,
Four.
Let's start with inhale for,
Hold two,
Exhale for,
Hold two.
Okay,
Let's begin in three,
Two,
One.
Breathe in,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold.
Breathe out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold.
Breathe in,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold.
Breathe out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold.
And continue on.
Repeat this for several more cycles,
Allowing your body to further relax with each round.
As you continue this rhythm,
Visualize the stress and tension of the pre-travel experience as something separate from you.
Perhaps like clouds drifting away or luggage being placed on a conveyor belt taken far from your space.
With every exhale,
Release the weight of those stresses.
Say to yourself,
I release what no longer serves me.
With every inhale,
Invite a sense of calm and presence.
You can even say to yourself,
I breathe in peace.
Remember,
What's happened has happened,
Can't be changed.
And anything that you're worrying about for the rest of the trip or in the near future will most definitely not either take place or if it does,
It will not be in the form that you are worrying about.
Use the breath to anchor you to stay in this moment.
Let's take one final deep breath together.
Inhale deeply through your nose.
Hold for a moment.
And exhale slowly,
Fully through your nose.
Do that again for me please.
Breathe in.
And hold.
And breathe out through the nose.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes and take a moment to notice how you feel.
As you move forward in your journey,
Remember that your breath is always with you.
A tool,
Be it internal,
To ground yourself no matter where you are.
And remember,
If you want to go longer,
Hit the loop button on the bottom left of this recording so it will keep going for you.
Enjoy your flight today.
Remember,
There are things outside of your control that may happen when you get off the plane and indeed when you transit to your next flight.
Always be well and breathe right.
