Hello and welcome!
This session is part of the 21 Day Breathwork Challenge.
If this is the first time tuning in and you'd like to start at day one,
If you follow my profile Inge Wolsink,
You can find all the available previous sessions there.
You can also find all the other tracks in the playlist,
The 21 Day Breathwork Challenge.
Are you ready?
Let's begin!
In this practice,
I would like you to visualize and experience the beautiful interplay between your breath and your heartbeat.
We are so used to digital devices and measurement tools that are supposed to tell us how we are doing,
That we forget that all we need to know is already right here in our body.
And that all we need to learn and do is connect,
Feel and listen.
Just a short note here before we start.
This breathing practice is an interceptive practice.
This means that we focus on sensations inside,
Intro,
The body.
Specifically,
The heartbeat.
For some people,
This is easier than for others.
Some of us are simply more aware of sensations outside the body,
Such as things we see,
Than sensations inside the body,
Such as things we feel.
If you find sensing your heartbeat to be difficult,
Just know that interoception,
Like other things,
Will come with practice and that it may take some time to learn how to feel your heartbeat in your body.
If you feel that focusing your attention inward makes you feel uncomfortable,
This is not a problem.
You can choose to keep your eyes open and gaze at an object in front of you,
Or simply count seconds as opposed to heartbeats.
I will guide you through this with options.
Please feel free to adapt to your own needs.
The most balanced breathing pattern is estimated at about 5.
5 seconds per breath.
Let's see if we can build towards that,
Or if you are already a slow breather,
Expand it a bit.
When you are ready,
Let's begin.
As an old Chinese saying goes,
Breath is carried by posture and posture is fueled by breath.
So,
The first thing we do is making sure we open our bodies to receive full breaths.
Sit in a comfortable position.
If it feels okay,
Close your eyes.
If it doesn't,
Gently gaze in front of you.
As you inhale,
Press from the sits bones,
Erecting your whole spine from the ground up.
Open your chest,
Open your back,
Widen your collarbones.
As you exhale,
Drop your shoulders down the back.
Draw your belly in and let your hips sink into your seat.
Take a slow inhale through the nose,
Filling up the belly,
Side ribs,
Chest and back.
Open your mouth and release in a long sigh.
Let's do that again.
Slowly inhale,
Lengthening from the ground up.
Steady exhale,
Releasing from the top down.
Bring your awareness to the center of your chest.
Feel the widening of the ribs to the side,
Front and back on your inhales.
Feel the contraction of the ribcage on the exhale.
Imagine your heart in the middle of this expanding and contracting dome.
Perhaps you can hear or feel how the heart responds to this movement of breathing.
Narrow your attention down to a point in your body where you can feel the beat of your heart best,
If ever so slightly.
Perhaps it is in the chest,
Perhaps in the head,
In the hands or in the belly.
Don't worry if this takes time or practice,
It will come.
If you can't feel the beat or if you lose it or if your eyes are open,
It can help to place two hands over your heart space and hold the beat in your hands.
Take a moment to sense the rhythm of your heart.
Whatever it feels like,
Observe with kind and curious attention.
How does this heartbeat feel?
Is it light,
Heavy,
Fast,
Slow,
Calm,
Irregular?
Whatever comes up,
Allow it to be just as it is.
Notice if there is a natural pause in between inhales and exhales.
And exhales and inhales.
Allow it to be there.
You can choose to count the beats and pauses if this helps you to focus.
Or you can simply follow the beats and stay with the sensation.
See what feels good for you.
Notice if there is a change in intensity and speed of your heartbeat when you switch from inhale to exhale.
And when you switch from exhale to inhale.
Notice if there is a change in intensity and speed of your heartbeat when you switch from inhale to exhale.
Notice if there is a change in intensity and speed of your heartbeat when you switch from inhale to exhale.
Notice if there is a change in intensity and speed of your heartbeat when you switch from inhale to exhale.
If you can,
Lengthen your inhales relative to your exhales.
Notice what happens to your heartbeat the longer and deeper you inhale.
This natural activation response of your body is available to you whenever you inhale.
Now,
If you can,
Gently lengthen your exhales relative to your inhales.
Lengthen the pause after the exhale.
Notice what happens to your heartbeat the longer you extend the exhale.
Notice what happens to your heartbeat the longer you extend the exhale.
Know that this natural relaxation response of your body is available to you with every exhale you take.
All you need to do is tune in,
Notice,
Lengthen your exhale and allow natural relaxation to take place.
Know that if,
For whatever reason,
You are chronically or temporarily stressed,
The difference between heart rate speed will be less noticeable.
This is okay.
Let it be a signpost.
A signal from your heart to your head that it is important to slow down a bit more often.
We don't need to take long vacations to relax.
It is way more important that we regularly tune in to relaxation for just a few minutes.
Keep coming back to this practice of allowing the relaxation of the exhale to slow you down.
Thank you for taking the time to tune in to the interplay between breath,
Nervous system and heart and experience your body's natural activation and relaxation cycles.
I am looking forward to our next session together.
As always,
If you enjoyed this particular practice or are enjoying the breathing journey you are on,
Please leave your insights,
Your experiences and your feedback in the review section.
I always enjoy reading your comments and you might actually help another person come to the practice when they need it most.
