Welcome,
I'm Abby Cameron with Indigo Coaching.
This is a guided practice on diaphragmatic breathing.
This formal practice focuses attention on the breath with diaphragmatic breathing.
This way of breathing uses the diaphragm and allows for a fuller,
Slower,
And more rhythmic breath.
This technique reduces stress by breaking shallow patterns of chest dominant breathing.
Diaphragmatic breathing is helpful because slowing down,
Breathing more evenly,
And directing the breath into the diaphragm instead of the chest initiates a relaxation response.
Also,
One of the surest ways to hone our ability to pay attention is to focus on something specific such as the breath.
Ideally,
You sustain your attention on the breath,
But being human,
Your mind might wander away from time to time.
When it does,
Just notice where your mind goes and redirect your attention back to the breath.
It can be challenging to maintain focused attention on the breath,
Yet after repeated practice,
Sustained attention becomes much easier.
Let's begin our practice.
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Keeping your mouth closed,
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nostrils.
While you do so,
Gently allow your abdomen to fill as if it were a balloon being inflated with air.
Hold your breath for a few moments and then slowly and fully exhale through your lips.
While exhaling,
Pull your abdomen back toward your spine as if it were a balloon being emptied of air.
After you exhale,
Take a few moments to pause and notice,
Without judgment,
How you feel.
When you are ready,
Repeat the inhale and exhale in the same way as before,
And begin to find your own natural rhythm of inhale,
Hold,
Exhale,
Pause,
And repeat.
As you get into a rhythm,
Notice the sensation of breathing.
Feel your breath going in through your nostrils and out through your lips.
Identify where the sensation of breathing feels most prominent.
Continue to sustain your attention on the movement of the inhale and the exhale.
Be with your breath as gently as you can.
See if you can even let go of any thoughts and relax into the breath.
Continue to gently breathe in,
Hold,
Gently breathe out,
And pause.
If your attention wanders,
Just notice where it goes and gently redirect it back to the sensation of breathing.
Continue to sustain your attention on the movement of the inhale and the exhale.
Gently breathe in through your nostrils,
Hold,
And breathe out through your lips,
And pause.
If your attention wanders,
Just gently redirect it back to the sensation of breathing.
Repeat the cycle one more time,
Inhaling through the nostrils,
Holding for a few moments,
Exhaling through your lips,
And pausing.
Take a moment to notice,
With curiosity and without judgment,
How you feel.
When you are ready,
Slowly open your eyes or return to your natural gaze.
This is the end of our practice.
