Welcome to your conscious breath awareness meditation.
My name is Soleil and in this practice we will explore deep intentional breathing.
We can often find ourselves breathing shallow especially in moments of stress and anxiety.
Shallow breathing can deprive our bodies of oxygen and this can perpetuate feelings of tension and unease.
However by consciously deepening our breath we can counteract these effects.
This deep breathing is very soothing for the nervous system.
It is an easy meditation practice which can be done any time of day.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable seated position with your spine tall and your shoulders relaxed.
You can be supported by a chair or sitting up in bed.
Rest your hands now on your lap.
Your legs can be out in front of you or crossed.
Whatever feels most natural for you.
Begin to close your eyes gently if you have not already and start by noticing your natural breath in and out through your nostrils.
Bring your attention to the natural of the breath moving through your body.
Notice if your breathing is shallow or perhaps a bit deeper into the abdomen.
For now just observe how your body breathes all by itself.
No need to change anything.
During this practice if your mind wanders that's completely natural and it's what minds do.
When you notice this happening just gently guide your attention back to the breath.
On your next inhale begin by taking a deep breath in through your nose allowing your belly to expand like a balloon as you fill up your lungs completely.
As you exhale imagine your belly gently contracting drawing the navel back towards the spine and the breath leaving the body.
Deep full breath in again.
Feel the breath traveling all the way down the base of your spine.
The belly expand ribcage rise and slowly exhaling through your nose releasing any tension or tightness you might be hanging on to.
Continue this cycle of this breathing practice in your own pace allowing each inhalation to be deep and nourishing and each exhalation to be slow and steady.
If this is your first time practicing deep breathing it may feel unfamiliar at first.
Simply allow yourself to explore the sensations of deep breathing.
As you continue to breathe deeply notice any sensations that arise within your body.
Notice the rise and fall of your chest,
The expansion and contraction of your ribcage,
The gentle rhythm of your breath.
If you notice your mind wandering this is normal.
We just gently guide our attention back to the sensation of your breath.
Use it as an anchor to bring you back to the present moment again and again.
With each cycle of breath feel yourself becoming more relaxed and centered.
A few more rounds in your own time before we conclude the meditation.
Simply being here with your breath.
Good.
Now come back to your natural breath and gently bring your awareness back to your body,
Back to your surrounds and when you're ready slowly open your eyes and take this moment to notice how you feel.
Remember the practice of deep intentional breathing is always available to you.
It's a great tool to ground yourself in moments of stress and uncertainty and has other great benefits of bringing oxygen to your brain and body.
Thank you for joining this meditation.
