Hello and welcome.
This is a four-part breathing practice and a really powerful way to move out of panic,
Anxiety,
Or a feeling of overwhelm.
But first,
My name is Salima,
Yoga therapist,
And I'm the lead mentor for Yoga Vision's Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training Program.
Let's dive into this breathing practice now.
So a little bit about this.
Breathing is always best done after a little bit of movement so that you feel a little action in your spine and you can have a little bit of calm in the body before moving on to breath work.
Not mandatory,
But always a good idea.
And if you would like more,
Take a look at my spinal series and that can help you as a short practice before diving into this one.
In any case,
Let's get into it so that you know what is waiting for you.
So remember an end to panic,
An end to overwhelm,
And an end to feeling of anxiety.
All really important things,
Especially on the road to healing and recovery.
Sitting tall and straight,
You can take a chair for this practice or keep yourself seated on the ground.
Either one is perfect.
You'll have the same benefits regardless of which option you choose.
Sit with a tall straight spine.
We're going to take this step by step.
So the first place to start is by noticing the breath.
Gently close your eyes or look downwards.
This is a way of removing visual distraction and holding energetically the benefits within so that they can travel to what needs to be healed.
So as you sit now,
Pay attention to your breath.
Is it running warm or cool,
Fast or slow?
Is it flowing from one nostril more than the other?
Is your breath work running shallow or deep?
These are all points to notice.
These are all points to observe.
Nothing to change,
Nothing to judge,
Just to get a sense of,
Hey,
What's happening here as I breathe?
Now let's step in a little bit deeper and that is to do a little more focused breath and that is to inhale for a count of four through the nose.
Inhale two,
Three,
And four and through the nose exhale two,
Three,
And four.
Inhale nose two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale two,
Three,
Four.
Inhale two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale two,
Three,
Four.
Do two more rounds on your own.
Find out if your breath is running a little slower or faster than my count.
Excellent.
We're stepping now into the full practice and this breathing practice is called square breath or four-four breath.
The reason for that is that we're using four different parts and inhaling or exhaling and holding.
These four,
Imagine a box in front of you.
The idea is to trace the line of a box and that's the idea behind this particular breathing pattern.
It should help you feel safe and contained as if you were in a strong solid box and you were safe and contained and protected from the rest of the world and also unto yourself.
As you sit now,
Realign your spine and we'll start with inhaling through the nose for a count of four.
Inhale two,
Three,
Four.
Now hold the breath two,
Three,
Four.
Through the mouth,
Powerful breath out and then hold the breath out two,
Three,
Four.
Inhale through the nose.
Inhale two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale mouth two,
Three,
Four and then hold the breath out two,
Three,
Four.
Nice.
Keep going.
Inhale nose,
Hold the breath out.
Exhale mouth,
Hold the breath out.
Inhale nose,
Hold the breath out.
Exhale mouth,
Hold the breath out and continue.
I'm right here.
You're doing great.
Eyes are gently closed.
Spine is straight.
Just a few more rounds.
I'm going to step in here just in case you might have lost your way.
Just to give you a reminder,
It's an inhale through the nose,
A hold and exhale through the mouth and then a hold.
We'll count out the last three rounds together.
Inhale nose,
Hold the breath out.
Exhale mouth,
Hold the breath out.
Inhale nose,
Hold the breath out.
Exhale mouth,
Hold the breath out.
Inhale nose,
Hold the breath.
Exhale mouth,
Hold the breath.
Inhale,
Hold.
Exhale.
Now slowly,
Gently release the pattern.
Release that breathing pattern and come back to your natural rhythm of breathing.
It may take a few rounds to release and to come back to your normal breath.
As you do that,
Pay attention to how your breath is flowing now,
Shallow or deep,
Left versus right.
Beautiful.
Remember you can use this breathing practice anywhere you are.
If you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation,
In a moment of overwhelm or panic or anxiety,
Take a moment,
Take a seat,
Concentrate,
Do a few rounds of square breath,
Inhale,
Hold,
Exhale,
Hold.
Notice how quickly you can recenter yourself.
Notice how your nervous system wants to align with you and to bring you back so that you feel grounded,
Steady,
Sure,
And clear of your next steps.
Thank you for joining in today.
My name is Salima,
Yoga therapist.
Lots of love until we practice again together.
