Boxed Breath For Mindfulness

Let this simple practice help bring you back into this moment. Boxed breath can help regulate your nervous system and allow you to become more mindfully aware of yourself in your surroundings. Take a few moments to slow down and breathe.

Transcript

Hey there, Today I'm going to guide you through boxed breath. This is a breath sometimes called square breathing, Right? So we're thinking of equal four sides as I'll guide you through. And I just learned that this breath, Pretty cool, Is used by the Navy Seals. Why? Because it brings them back into the moment immediately. It brings them present exactly where they are. It tunes anything out that's unnecessary and helps lower cortisol levels so they can focus exactly on what they need to, Which is what we're going to do, Right? So this breath is great to bring you more present. So if you're someone that's just in the middle of work, You're working so much, Your brain is getting scattered, Boxed breath will bring you right back to where you are. If you're feeling upset, Anxious, Overwhelmed, Or even a little bit depressed, Boxed breath will help you bring you right here into your body more presently in this moment. It's an excellent breath to use every day. It can focus you in for the start of the day, And it can also bring your attention right there slowly and softly to the moment right before you fall asleep. So let's give it a try. Nice tall seat. This one can be done on the ground. It can also be done sitting upright on a sofa, A chair, Anything that feels good to you. We want a lot of space in the hips, A lot of space in the low back, And you're also welcome to sit yourself upright against a wall to give your spine a little bit more lift. I like to sit on a blanket. That gives me the space. Pillows work beautifully as well. So do yoga blocks. So find what feels good to you. And those of you that like to kneel, Happy knees, Go ahead and kneel. Nice tall seat, Hands will rest down to start and the hands are just going to relax. If you want to ground, Palms will drop down. If you need to borrow some energy, Let those palms flip up. Eyes closed if that feels comfortable in your body. Otherwise, Just a soft gaze forward. Take a huge breath in through both nostrils. Big sigh out. Give your shoulders a roll as you do that. Relax your jaw. One more like that. Breath in. In fact, Let's squeeze our shoulders up to our ears. Big, Big, Big in. Big sigh out, Soften your shoulders down. Good, Soft chow. Lip seal if that's available to you. Breath will come in and out through your nose. Breathe in both nostrils. Breathe out through both nostrils. Good, Let's begin our boxed breath. Inhale, A count of four, Three, Two, One. Pause, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe out, Four, Three, Two, One. Pause, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe in, Four, Three, Two, One. Two, One, Pause, Four, Three, Two, One, Breathe out, Four, Three, Two, One, Pause, Four, Three, Two, One, In, Four, Three, Two, One, Pause, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe out, Four, Three, Two, One. Pause, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe in, Four, Three, Too. 1. Pause for. Three, Two, One. Breathe out, Four, Three, Two, One. Pause, Four, Three, Two, One. In, Pause. Out. Pause. N. Pause. Out. Pause. Full breath in. Pause, Soft breath out. Pause. Full inhale. Pause, Full exhale. Pause, Flutter your eyes open or refocus them. Take a moment just to notice what you notice about the rate of your heart. The rhythm in your breath. And the information in your mind. Notice if you feel a little more focused and a little more present. Something also to observe whenever you're doing a boxed breath is notice how your mind reacts to the difference between breathing in and breathing out. And if you're anything like me, It starts to go a little crazy on those pauses. Maybe they feel a little long or a little tight at the edges. We start to feel the body tighten, Clenching, Holding, Wondering when the breath is going to come. And the mind itself starts to flutter, Which makes the heartbeat a little bit faster. So see, As you continue to practice, If those pauses, You can almost feel like you're floating If you notice tension in the body, See if you can let it relax. Often shoulders, Jaw, Hands or toes. Let everything just soften while you're pausing. Remind yourself that there is plenty of air all around you, Always and forever, And that next moment will come. Those sensations of discomfort and vulnerability are always just temporary. They come, They go, Just like everything else. So hopefully you feel a little more like a Navy SEAL. You can use that anytime, Anywhere. And remember the length of time you're breathing is a little less important than the fact that everything is even. So maybe you try a count of three in, A pause for three, A breath out for three, And a pause for three. When you're doing it on your own, You can even imagine the trail of your breath like a box. I think I just drew more of a rectangle, Right? But all sides would be even. So you breathe in, Feel that lift up. You pause and float. You breathe out and reground. You pause and you float. Play around with the length of time. Maybe someday you can get it up to six all around or maybe longer. Who knows? Hope you feel good and I'll see you soon.