Hello,
I'm Alice and welcome to this Ujjayi breathing practice.
Ujjayi breathing is also often called ocean breathing and it originates from the practice of yoga.
This is a really soothing breath to use for a few minutes when you need to calm down or maybe fall asleep.
The technique involves breathing in and out of the nose smoothly and slowly.
As you breathe out you gently contract the glottis at the back of your throat to create a little resistance for your breath and this naturally slows down your breathing and results in a quiet and gentle ocean-like sound being produced.
It sounds a little like this.
A great way to learn how to do this breath is to pretend to mist a pair of glasses to clean them.
So let's practice that now but with an open mouth as you breathe out.
So it will sound like this.
And let's do that one more time.
Now try that same sound but with your mouth closed and notice the slight contraction at the back of your throat.
Okay,
I'd like to invite you now to find somewhere comfortable to sit or to lie down.
Breathe in through your nose,
Pause at the top and then sigh out through your mouth.
Now close your lips and you might choose to either place your hands at the sides of your belly just below your rib cage or keep them relaxed wherever they are.
Close your eyes if that feels okay for you to do so.
And notice now how your body feels.
And also take a moment to notice how you feel emotionally and do any words come to mind.
So without changing your breath,
Take a moment now to become aware of your breath.
And with me notice the rise and fall of your belly.
Notice how your rib cage expands slightly as you breathe in and contracts as you breathe out.
And now you're aware of your natural breath.
I invite you to slow your breathing down.
So that gradually you're breathing low into your lungs and as slowly as possible.
Breathing deeply and gently.
Now with the breath flowing smoothly and slowly,
Let's begin our first round of ujjayi breathing.
And please feel free to go at your own pace.
You don't have to follow mine.
Now,
I'd like to invite you to take a moment to notice how your body feels.
Breathing deeply and gently.
Now with the breath flowing smoothly and slowly,
Let's begin our first round of ujjayi breathing.
And please feel free to go at your own pace.
You don't have to follow mine.
So remember you're gently contracting the throat muscles on your exhale and see if you can make this as effortless as possible.
As quiet as possible so that only you can hear.
Let your breath breathe your body.
Let's begin.
And as you finish your next exhale,
Let go of doing anything to your breath.
Come back to your normal breathing.
And take a moment here to notice any ways in which you feel a shift in the quality of your mind or the feeling in your body.
What do you notice?
And I find that having that sound and the sensation to focus on really helps to quieten any anxious thoughts and a busy mind.
Okay,
Let's come back to another round of ujjayi breathing.
When you're ready.
Inhaling through the nose.
And after your next exhale,
Let go again of doing anything to your breath.
Coming back to your normal breathing now.
When you're ready,
Let go of doing anything to your breath.
Let go again of doing anything to your breath.
Coming back to your normal breathing now.
When you consciously slow your breath down like this,
Your nervous system perceives it as a cue of safety.
So as if you were completely safe in your environment.
And as a result,
All of the systems in your body begin to soften and release tension.
Simply by slowing your breath down.
Begin to move your fingers and toes a little.
Blink open your eyes if they've been closed.
And take a look around your room,
Reorientating yourself back.
And remember that you always have your breath and you can come back to it whenever you need to.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
