Welcome to this breath-based meditation called Energy Reset with Belly Breath.
My name is Alexis and I'll be your guide today.
During this practice,
We will be exploring a pranayama practice called belly breathing,
Also known as downward pranic wind or diaphragmatic breath.
Generally speaking,
It is one practice that belongs to a greater collection of breathing exercises that have their roots in ancient yogic traditions.
The belly breath practice is well praised for its calming and soothing abilities,
And it is the introductory practice for all other pranayama or breathing exercise practices because it offers the first steps towards building a foundational breathing practice used to ground ourselves by moving the attention and ultimately our prana or life force downwardly.
When practicing pranayama,
We are working towards becoming skilled at regulating our own subtle body energy.
It is important to note that prana or life force is not the breath.
Prana is not air moving in and out of the body.
Prana is energy that rides on the breath.
Prana can be found in sunshine,
Water,
Food,
And in nature.
It is everywhere,
Inside and outside the body.
It moves in all directions,
Up,
Down,
In,
Out,
And sometimes all around.
Pranayama changes the pranic flow of energy.
It has this ability to enhance or uplift or downshift our energy,
Depending on which pranayama practice you choose.
During this practice,
The belly breath practice,
We will be focusing on using this technique to move our energy downwardly in the body.
Moving energy in a downward direction is essential and foundational for encouraging balance and harmony in our emotional and mental states.
Feeling grounded,
Stable,
Rooted,
Centered,
And calm are all related to the downward movement of prana.
So with that said,
Let's begin our practice.
I'd like for you to come into a comfortable position.
And it is important that your spine is straight,
Your body relaxed,
And your mind alert.
This can be seated in a chair or seated on the floor with legs crossed and a cushion underneath your seat.
This practice can also be beneficial while laying down,
With the body well supported by pillows or blankets.
Once you find your comfortable position,
Take a few deep breaths as we do to relax and center ourselves.
If it feels appropriate,
You may close your eyes.
Now place one hand onto your belly center.
This can be right over the navel itself or somewhere near the navel.
Direct your attention to the feeling of the belly expanding and contracting as you breathe naturally.
When you are breathing naturally,
You are not controlling the flow of your breath just yet.
You are directing your attention down,
Down towards the navel,
Down towards the movement of your abdomen as it gently expands and contracts.
Or perhaps you are just experiencing the touch of your hand on your belly center as it rises and falls.
If you'd like,
You can imagine a small balloon,
No larger than an orange inside,
Inflating as you breathe in and deflating as you breathe out.
If you discover some challenges around feeling sensation in this area,
It's perfectly okay.
Perhaps you allow the awareness of no sensation to be your object of attention here.
Just observing without judgment your experience just as it is.
Now we will add a technique called Candle Breath to stretch or lengthen the exhale during the downward wind practice.
Candle Breath is an exceptional technique that can help when we are caught up in the physical manifestations of worry and distress.
Follow my instructions,
Stay with the breath down at the abdomen and know that the breath will flow in through the nose and out through your lips.
Now breathe in through the nose,
Filling up to a comfortable capacity.
And now exhale through pursed lips like you are blowing out a candle for as long as you can.
The object of the practice here is to play with how long you can comfortably lengthen the exhale without straining or causing stress to your body and mind.
Keeping your attention down at the belly,
Begin to inhale again through the nose,
Feeling the expansion of the breath in your body here,
Noticing the way the belly rises.
And then exhale again through pursed lips,
Nice and slow now.
See if you can really empty the breath all the way down to the bottom.
And then inhale again through the nose,
Easy,
Gentle,
Comfortable capacity.
And then release the breath through your lips,
Nice and slow all the way to the bottom,
Perhaps feeling a cinching in of the navel center and sides of the waist around your lower lumbar spine.
Keep going for a few more rounds.
Staying with your belly breath awareness,
Staying with the practice,
Going at your own pace,
Acknowledging the experience of the breath,
Just as it is.
Now,
Let go of the breathing practice.
Enjoy natural breath now,
Noticing the imprint that the practice has had on your body and mind.
Breathing easy now,
You might notice a sense of calm,
Peace,
Or inner focus and awareness of a deeper layer of yourself.
Ideally,
The body will feel at ease and relaxed.
And the mind may have a more spacious,
Reflective,
And open quality to it.
Now,
Begin to bring your awareness outwardly by noticing your fingers and toes.
You can give them a little wiggle here to help you feel into them if you like.
Perhaps inviting in a few gentle stretches now to awaken the body.
When it feels appropriate to do so,
Allow your eyes to open.
You have just learned how to practice belly breathing to reset the flow of subtle energy in the body and mind.
By practicing this technique,
Ideally our body shifts to a state of homeostasis,
To one of balance and harmony.
It is important to note that if you felt strain from the practice,
Like shortness of breath,
Tightness in the face or around the jaw,
Or even tension in the neck and shoulder muscles,
It means you are working too hard.
You will want to stop the practice when this happens.
Take a moment to rest and then begin again.
Starting from a place where you are intentionally softening the edges by being kind and accepting of yourself just as you are.
Remembering that we might be experiencing something for the first time and to acknowledge that we need to be patient.
Pranayama is a subtle body practice.
It is more subtle than asana or the physical practice of yoga.
And it may take time to build the awareness around these subtle movements and sensations.
So go slow and take your time with this.
You will learn a lot more about yourself and how to use these techniques skillfully if you don't rush the process.
Thank you for sharing your practice and your precious energy with me.
Namaste.
