This is a simple breathwork practice,
Designed to tell your nervous system,
The day is done,
You're safe,
It's time to rest.
You can do this lying in bed,
Sitting on the edge of your bed,
Or anywhere you won't be disturbed for the next 5 minutes.
If you're in bed,
Lie on your back,
With your arms at your sides,
Or hands resting on your belly.
If you're sitting,
Keep your spine relatively upright,
But relaxed.
Close your eyes when you're ready.
Let's begin.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Filling your belly and chest,
And let it out through your mouth with an audible sigh.
Let that sigh carry the weight of the day.
Again,
Breathe in,
And sigh it out.
Let your jaw soften.
Let your shoulders drop.
One more time,
In through your nose,
And out through your mouth with sound.
Good.
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
You don't need to control it,
Just notice it for a moment.
The day is done.
Whatever happened today,
Whatever you did or didn't do,
Whatever you said or didn't say,
It's over.
You don't need to carry it into this moment.
Right now your only job is to be here,
In your body.
In this space,
Safe.
Now we're going to work with a specific breathing pattern.
It's called the 4-4-8 breath,
And it's designed to activate your parasympathetic nervous system.
The rest and digest responds.
Here's how it works.
Breathe in through your nose,
For 4 counts.
Hold your breath for 4 counts.
Breathe out through your mouth for 8 counts.
The long exhale is what signals to your body,
We're safe,
We can let go now.
Let's do this together.
I'll count for you.
Round 1.
Breathe in through your nose,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Breathe out through your mouth,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Good.
Let your breath settle for a moment.
Round 2.
Breathe in,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Breathe out slowly,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Notice how your body feels.
Maybe a little softer,
A little heavier.
That's your nervous system beginning to settle.
Round 3.
Breathe in,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Breathe out,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Let your breath return to normal,
Just notice a shift in your body.
Round 4.
One more time.
Breathe in,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Breathe out,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Now let your breath be completely natural.
You don't need to control it anymore,
Just let it flow on its own.
Feel the surface beneath you.
The bed,
The chair,
The floor.
Feel the weight of your body being held,
Supported.
You don't need to do anything right now.
You don't need to solve anything.
You don't need to fix anything.
You don't need to be anyone.
You can just be here,
Now,
Safe.
If thoughts about tomorrow come up,
Things you need to do,
Problems you need to solve,
Just acknowledge them.
I see you,
But not now,
Tomorrow.
Right now,
You're just breathing,
Just being,
Just allowing your body to rest.
The day is done.
It's time to rest.
Take one final deep breath in,
And let it go with a soft sigh.
Your body knows how to sleep.
You don't need to force it,
You just need to get out of the way and let it happen.
If you're ready to sleep,
Let yourself drift off.
If you need a few more minutes,
That's fine too.
But know this,
You've signaled to your nervous system that it's safe to rest.
