Hi,
My name is Asa.
Welcome to this three-part breath guided breathing meditation.
As with any breathing practice,
Please listen closely to your body.
If you notice yourself beginning to tense or feel uncomfortable at any time,
Simply release the technique and breathe in and out at your own pace.
Let's begin by coming to a comfortable seat,
Perhaps sitting on a chair,
On a cushion on the floor,
Or even lying down on a couch or a bed.
You can allow your eyes to fall closed or leave your eyes open with a soft gaze on the floor a few feet in front of you.
If you're seated,
Allow the crown of your head to lift up as you breathe in and your shoulders to relax down towards the earth as you breathe out.
Notice if you're holding any tension in your face,
Your shoulders,
Or anywhere else in your body.
And if so,
Along with your next exhale,
Allow that tension to melt away from your body.
Slowly begin to deepen your breath,
Making each breath a little fuller than the last.
Bring your full awareness to your body breathing,
And with each breath,
Allow your focus to sink more and more into your body.
If you'd like,
You can place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest to better feel the movement of the breath throughout your body.
Whenever thoughts float into your mind and you notice you've become distracted,
Simply recognize that your mind is thinking,
And then gently bring your attention back to your breath.
Imagine your torso divided into three sections.
The belly area,
The ribcage area,
And the chest area.
The three-part breath involves breathing first into the belly,
Then continuing the breath into the ribcage,
And then finishing the inhale in the chest area.
On the exhale,
The flow of breath is reversed,
With the exhale first flowing out of the chest area,
Then ribcage,
And then finally the belly.
Let's break that down and try it together.
On your next inhale,
Imagine drawing your breath in and all the way down to your belly,
Your belly inflating like a balloon as you breathe in.
On the following exhale,
Draw your belly in towards your spine,
Pushing out every last bit of air.
Practice a few deep breaths just like this,
Expanding your belly as you breathe in,
And then drawing your belly to your spine as you breathe out.
On your next inhale,
Breathe down into the belly,
Feeling it fill up,
And once you feel like you're about halfway through your inhale,
Then without pausing,
Allow the rest of the inhale to expand your ribcage in all directions.
When you exhale,
Reverse the flow of the breath by releasing it first from the ribcage area,
And then from the belly.
Try this at your own pace for a few breaths.
Breathing in,
Belly expands,
Then ribcage expands,
Nice smooth motion.
Then breathing out,
Ribcage draws in,
Then belly draws in towards the spine.
Full,
Complete exhale.
Now we'll bring it all together by including the third part,
The upper chest area.
The next time you inhale,
Breathe down into the belly,
Expanding it like a balloon,
And then continue the breath into the middle of the torso.
And then finally,
Breathe into the chest,
Feeling your collarbone and shoulders lift as you breathe into every nook and cranny of your lungs.
On the exhale,
Reverse the flow of breath by letting the collarbone and shoulders lower,
Ribcage relax,
And belly pull in to press out every last bit of breath.
And then breathing in,
Same motion,
Perhaps even saying to yourself,
Belly,
Ribs,
Chest,
And as you breathe out,
Chest,
Ribs,
Belly.
Practice the three-part breath at your own pace for the next couple of minutes.
I'll be back when it's time to close out our practice.
And now release the control of the breath and allow your body to breathe at its own pace.
Take a moment to notice how you're feeling after practicing the three-part breath.
While keeping your eyes closed,
Slowly begin to expand your awareness outward.
Become aware of the sounds and smells in the space around you.
And when you're ready,
Take a deep breath in,
And on your exhale,
Gently sit back,
Take a stretch,
And blink open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing this three-part breath guided breathing meditation.
I wish you a wonderful rest of your day.
