5 minutes to calm down for when you're wound up.
If you're flat and foggy rather than wound up,
This is the wrong track to listen to.
The 5 minute lift is the one you want in that case.
You don't have to do anything well in the next five minutes.
Sit so your back has some support and both feet are on the floor.
Let your hands rest wherever they feel comfortable.
On your thighs,
On the desk,
In your lap.
If anything in this gets uncomfortable,
Stop following the breathing instructions and just breathe normally.
Opening your eyes is always allowed as well.
Before we change anything,
Look around.
Don't close your eyes yet.
Let them move slowly across whatever's in front of you.
The far corner of the room,
Something close to you,
The light.
You're not looking for anything.
You're just letting your eyes do what they do when there's nothing to deal with.
And notice,
Without judging it,
How wound up are you?
0 to 10.
Take the first number that comes,
Don't negotiate with it.
Now,
If you want to,
Let your eyes close or soften them and let them rest on one spot.
Going to do three breaths and they have a particular shape a full deep breath in through the nose trying to fill the belly first and then a second smaller one on top of it and after that a long slow exhale out through the mouth so in And once you reach the top,
An extra inhale on top and then out through the mouth as if you're breathing through a straw,
Gently letting go.
And again,
In.
.
.
Extra one on top Out slowly here.
And once more in.
Extra on top And all the way out.
Do more like that in your own time.
Don't wait for me.
Now let your mouth close if that feels comfortable and just breathe through your nose for the next few minutes we're only going to do one thing make the out breath a little longer than the in breath in normally.
And out slowly,
Maybe like a sigh,
You're not making a sound with if it feels good through your nose,
If you prefer through your mouth Inhale.
And long exhale.
Inhale for 2-3 seconds.
Exhale for four to six seconds Keep going at your own pace.
Inhale takes care of itself all your attention goes on letting the exhale be unhurried and longer than the inhale If you lose track and find yourself thinking about your afternoon,
That's not a failure.
That's what minds do.
Come back on the next out breath.
Continuing in this space,
Long out-breath,
Nothing else to do.
Now let your breathing go completely back to normal.
Stop managing it and ask again,
Zero to 10,
Where are you now?
Whatever the number is,
That's information,
Not a score If it moved,
You've just proved to yourself that you have a tool at your disposal to shift your state,
Even if it's only slightly And if it didn't move,
You've learned something useful too.
Five minutes won't always out-argue a real problem.
Some days this isn't the tool.
Let your eyes open when you're ready.
And if you want a longer track,
Let the day out of your body is 10 minutes and goes further.
