5 Minute Extended Exhalation -Beginner Bites Series

Part of my Beginner Bites Series, this short practice is designed for anyone new to meditation, or for those needing a simple reset in the middle of a busy day.

In this 5-minute guided relaxation, you’ll be invited to pause, settle, and explore the calming practice of extended exhalation breathing. By gently lengthening the exhale, we can begin to activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, helping to slow the heart rate, soften tension, and create a greater sense of calm.

A simple yet powerful way to take a mindful break and reconnect with yourself

Transcript

Hi, I'm Shel. Today I have another breathing and meditation exercise for you, Just a short one. So finding a comfortable seat to start or you can sit on a chair or even lie down. Hello, Gidget. This is Gidget. So we'll start by. Grounding into the sitting bones. I'm sitting up onto a pillow just so my hips are a little higher than my knee. And then we'll grow tall in the spine. So nice and tall crown reaching up. And then just a little tuck of the chin down towards the chest so the back of the neck's nice and long. And then I'll soften down and relax through the shoulders. Hands can rest or place wherever feels comfortable. And if it feels okay for you, We can close down the eyes. Or just take the gaze softly down in front of you. Then we're going to start by taking three clearing breaths. And we're going to take the breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. By sighing it out. So take a breath in. And then I saw you. Two more of those deep breath in Side out. One more of those. Breath in together. And a sigh. Just let your breath come back to its natural rhythm. Today we're going to focus on our extended exhalation. So we'll start by taking the breath in for a count of four and then out for a count of six. So let's begin. The breath's going to come in through the nose and then purse the lips. When the breath comes out as if you're blowing out a candle. So breath in for four. Three, To One, Pause at the top and then breath out for five. Four. Three, To One, Pause at the bottom, Breath comes in. Three, Cheers. Breath comes out for five. Three, See you. Finding your own little rhythm with that. With accounting for four. And a count out for six feels too long. You can take it back down to, Say, Three or five. Can you live eternally to yourself till you find your own living? Just with the emphasis on an extended exhalation. Breath is coming in through the nose. Gently out through the mouth. Like to count back internally to yourself as a point of focus or reference. Find in your own rhythm. Mind wanders away just coming back to that focusing or counting the breath and letting the breath Come back to a natural rhythm, Letting go, Ranyama, Breath control. And bringing your hands into your heart space. Gently. Letting the eyes softly open nice