Welcome to this five-minute breath meditation.
Find a comfortable seated position,
Either on a chair with your feet flat on the floor,
Or cross-legged on a cushion.
Sit tall with your spine lengthened,
But not rigid.
Allow your shoulders to relax and soften away from the ears,
Opening up your heart space.
Rest your hands gently on your lap or your knees.
Close your eyes,
Or soften your gaze downward.
Take a moment to arrive here,
In your body,
In your breath,
Releasing any tension from your day,
Maybe with a gentle sigh.
Let your body settle into stillness.
In this meditation,
We'll practice the three-part breath.
This breath fills your lungs completely in three distinct waves,
And then releases in three distinct waves as well.
We'll inhale sequentially into the belly,
Then the ribcage,
Then the chest,
And we'll exhale in reverse order out of the chest,
Out of the ribcage,
And then out of the belly.
This creates a wave-like motion of breath,
Moving through your entire torso.
Let's begin.
Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart.
This will help you feel the movement of your breath through your body.
Take a natural breath in and out to prepare.
Now begin to inhale slowly through your nose.
First,
Send the breath down into your belly,
Feeling your belly expand gently outwards.
Continue the breath in,
Filling your ribcage,
Opening and widening side to side.
Finish the inhale,
Bringing the breath all the way into your chest,
Feeling your collarbones,
Heart space,
Puff slightly.
Now exhale slowly through the nose,
First emptying from the chest,
Feeling it soften.
Continue exhaling,
Releasing the ribcages down and in.
Finally,
Completing your exhale by drawing the belly in,
Emptying completely.
Beautiful.
Let's continue this rhythmic wave of breath.
Inhale,
Belly expands,
Ribcages widen,
The chest lifts.
Exhale,
Chest softens,
Ribcages draw in,
Belly empties.
Again,
Inhale into the belly.
Filling your ribcage,
Expanding the chest,
Exhaling from the chest,
Ribcages softening in,
Belly softens in last.
Continue at your own pace.
Find your natural rhythm with this three-part breath,
Like waves rolling onto the shore and back to the sea.
Inhale,
Belly,
Ribcage,
Chest.
Exhale,
Chest,
Ribcage,
Belly.
Keep breathing smoothly and continuously.
There's no pause between the three parts.
They flow into each other seamlessly,
Creating one long,
Complete breath.
Notice how this breath creates space in your entire body.
You are oxygenating your body fully,
Awakening every cell with fresh energy.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
If your mind wanders,
Gently return your attention back to your three-part wave.
Belly,
Ribcage,
Chest.
Exhaling,
Chest,
Ribcage,
Belly.
With each complete breath,
You are calming your nervous system.
You are creating space.
You are present.
Continue breathing in this wave.
Let it become natural and effortless.
Now begin to allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
No need to control or direct it anymore.
Simply breathe naturally.
Notice how you feel.
Perhaps you sense more spaciousness in your body,
More clarity in your mind,
Or a deeper sense of calm.
Take a moment to acknowledge yourself for taking this time to connect with your breath.
You can return to this three-part breath practice any time you need to center yourself,
Reduce stress,
Or simply come back to your body in the present moment.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Maybe roll your head side to side and take a moment to transition mindfully back into your day,
Carrying this sense of calm and spaciousness with you.
Thank you for practicing.
I'll see you in the next one.
