Hello,
And welcome to Monday Meditation.
Today we're going to be doing alternate nostril breathing,
Which is a good way to relax when you're feeling stressed,
Anxious,
Or overwhelmed.
But first,
We'll begin in the usual way.
Sit comfortably with your back straight and supported.
Keep your gaze soft in front of you,
With your eyes open for now.
And take a deep breath in through your nose with a count of four.
In,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale strongly,
Releasing all the excess tension in your body.
Take another deep breath in.
And this time we'll count the exhale,
Exhaling for six.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
One more time,
No counting this time.
Just take a deep breath in.
And out.
And you can close your eyes on the exhale.
Next,
Settle into your surroundings.
Feel the weight of your body pressing down.
Your seat underneath you.
Feel the pressure of that seat.
Feel your feet on the floor beneath you,
Or if you have your legs cross-legged,
Feel them on the chair.
See if there are any sounds around you.
Don't focus on one particular sound.
Just let the sounds come and go.
Take a moment to get a sense of your surroundings.
Next,
Bring your attention to your body.
First,
Take a big picture view,
Seeing how your body feels today.
Do you feel restless or still?
Do you feel heavy or light?
Get a general sense for how your body feels,
And also how you're feeling emotionally.
Don't judge yourself for how you are feeling,
And don't be surprised if it's different than how you felt yesterday or the day before.
First,
Take that big picture view.
Now do a slow scan,
Starting at the top of your head.
Scan down and see how each part of your body is feeling.
Note any sensations.
Don't dwell on or judge them.
Just note them as you scan from head to toe.
Take a minute.
Now bring your attention to your breath.
First,
Just spend a few minutes noticing your inhales and exhales.
You don't need to change your breath in any way.
For now,
We're just noticing,
Keeping your mind on the breath.
On the inhale,
Noticing the air coming into your body.
And on the exhale,
Feeling the air leave the body.
Just take a few moments to settle on your breath.
Now we'll begin the alternate breathing exercise.
You can either do this with your thumb and forefinger or thumb and pinky,
Whichever feels right to you.
You are essentially going to be using your thumb and finger to block one nostril at a time.
So you'll block your right nostril with your thumb,
While you breathe in through your left nostril.
And you'll hold at the top,
Switching to your other finger,
Blocking the left nostril and releasing the right nostril.
You'll exhale through the right nostril.
And then keep it that way for the inhale.
So you're alternating inhales and exhales which nostril you're using.
I'll walk you through the first level.
So we'll take an inhale through the left nostril,
Switch,
Exhale through the right nostril.
Inhale through the right nostril,
Switch,
Exhale through the left nostril.
Inhale through the left nostril,
Switch,
Exhale through the right nostril.
Take a few moments to do this on your own.
Alternating inhaling and exhaling through the nostrils.
Now you can return to your normal breathing style.
Take a moment to feel how you feel.
Noticing any changes in both your body and your mind.
Remember that you can use this technique anytime you want to relax,
Reduce your anxiety,
Or lower your stress.
I hope this helps you go about your day in a more calm,
Relaxed way.
And I hope to see you back next time.
Thanks,
And God bless.
