Hello,
This is Addie DeHilster and we'll be doing a guided breath relaxation for insomnia relief.
You can do this practice in the evening to wind down or even in your bed as you're getting ready to go to sleep.
So I recommend lying down and finding a comfortable place supported by pillows and blankets and whatever you need to feel your most relaxed.
Taking a moment to settle into that reclining posture.
If the room is not dark yet,
Perhaps covering your eyes with a cloth or an eye mask,
Letting your eyes relax back away from the lids,
Allowing your forehead to release its crinkles,
Making a little space between the upper and lower rows of teeth so your jaw is relaxed.
Allow your head to be heavy on your pillow.
Allow your shoulders to soften and begin to feel each area of the body that's in contact with what it's lying on.
It might be your bed,
It might be the floor,
But feel that support.
Feel yourself held and allow each area of the body to grow heavy into that support.
Shoulders,
Each part of the back body,
Heavy pelvis,
The arms,
The legs,
And start to notice the feeling of your breath,
The breath that's already happening.
It's flowing in and flowing out.
And breathing through the nose,
Let's start to count along with the breath for a little while.
So as we breathe in,
Let's breathe in for a count of four.
Next in breath,
Count of four,
And also breathing out for a count of four.
It's about one second per count,
Just a steady rhythm.
Breathing in for four,
Equally breathing out for four,
And just notice how this feels as you continue this even breathing for a little while.
It might be interesting getting the breath to kind of fit into these parameters of four counts in,
Four counts out.
Smoothing out the breath as it flows in and out,
Creating this even rhythm,
And keeping the throat relaxed,
The jaw relaxed,
The eyes relaxed as we continue.
As we begin to lengthen the exhales during this exercise,
You can pause at any time if you need a break,
Or if the count becomes too long,
You can go back to this four by four count or a previous ratio.
It's important to work within the zone that feels comfortable.
Let's take one more breath at this rhythm of four counts in,
Four counts out,
And then four counts in on the next breath,
Five counts out on the exhale,
Four counts in,
Five counts out.
Lengthening the exhale a little bit beyond the length of the inhale,
And we'll continue like this for a while,
Four counts in,
Five counts out.
Try to keep your counting really even,
And everything around the breathing passage very soft and relaxed.
Breathing in for four,
Breathing out for five,
Gives us a little bit more space to let go of the exhale.
And with the next cycle of breath,
If you like,
You can extend this further,
Keeping the inhale at four counts in,
You can breathe out for six counts,
Four counts in,
Six counts out.
It's the same amount of breath you're breathing in,
But paced a little differently as you breathe out.
A little more time and space for the exhale,
Four counts in,
Six counts out.
Starting to really soften at the end of these exhales,
And you might just feel the inhale takes care of itself.
It just flows in without much effort as you empty out on the exhale.
You can stay with four counts in,
Six counts out,
Or if you'd like to take your exhale to seven counts,
You can do that.
Four counts in,
Breathing out for seven counts.
If this starts to feel effortful,
Back off.
Go to a lower count or take a break,
Keeping this process very easeful,
Each exhale a little more restful than the one before.
Four counts in,
Seven counts out.
Allowing the inhale to flow in on its own at the end of that exhale.
You can stay with this ratio,
This count,
Or if you'd like to extend your exhale once more,
We can stay with four counts in and go to eight counts out.
It's a slow and thorough and complete exhale.
Really feeling the breath taper out,
Fizzle out at the end of the exhale,
And without effort,
The next inhale flows in for four counts.
We breathe out eight counts.
Continuing with the count you're on,
Check back in with your eyes,
Letting them drop back away from the lids,
Uncrinkling,
Uncreasing your forehead,
Re-relaxing your jaw.
Breathing four counts in,
Eight counts out.
You can continue counting the breath for as long as you'd like.
If the numbers are starting to get a little fuzzy and drifty,
You can let it go and just allow the body to breathe itself as it knows how to do.
Feeling yourself held here.
Enjoying a peaceful rest.
