Box Breath For Calm And Stress Relief

Take a moment for this simple practice that helps you ground and center yourself quickly. All you need is your own body and breath! In only a few minutes, you will feel calmer, more relaxed and clear-minded.
Music Credit: Sweet Dreams, Sunray by 369

Transcript

Hey there, I hope you're having a beautiful day. We are going to practice a balancing breath for just a few minutes here. So this breath style is very easy. It will bring you into balance in all ways, Body, Mind and spirit will help relax and restore your nervous system and just bring you into this present moment, Which is where we all want to exist all the time, Right? Ideally, But that is a much easier said than done. So this is a great breath to do when you start your day or at any moment in your day when you're feeling frazzled or off balanced, Off kilter, Whatever it might be. And you don't have to do it for super long. I would recommend around three minutes at least. But if you only have a minute or two, The benefits will start happening after about six rounds of breath, Honestly. So super effective, Super quick. It's why I love breath work, Because it's so fast and effective in shifting everything for us. So first of all, Get yourself nice and comfortable, Seated upright, Straight spine, Lots of room for that body to breathe. And just start by noticing how your body's feeling. Maybe roll the shoulders, Roll the head, Move the neck around, Get yourself nice and settled. Clean out any fidgets that you need to release. And breathing naturally for the moment while you move. As you start to come into stillness, Take a deep breath in through your nose. And a big breath out your mouth, Relax your shoulders. Nice. One more time. Deep breath in, Fill up your belly, Your ribs, All the way around, Even into your back if you can do it. And then once you're at the top, Hold just for a second, Feel all that expansion, Stretch your torso, And exhale, Let it go. Make any noises that just want to come out. Don't be afraid to make noise. It's good for you. And then go ahead and start breathing just gently in and out through your nose. So inhaling through the nose, Exhaling through the nose. Okay, So continuing to breathe in that way. This is called four-part breath or box breath. We are going to breathe in for four counts, We are going to hold for four counts at the top, We are going to exhale for four counts, And then we will hold the breath out at the bottom for four counts. So nice and simple, But I will count you through it. So first exhale all the air from your body. And then inhale through your nose for four, Three, Two, One, Hold for three, Two, One, Exhale for three, Two, One, Hold it out, Three, Two, One, Inhale for three, Two, One, Hold for three, Two, One, Exhale for three, Two, One, Hold it out, Three, Two, One, Inhale for three, Two, One, Hold top, Three, Two, One, Exhale, Three, Two, One, Hold it out, Three, Two, One, Keep it going, Inhale for four, Hold for four, Exhale, Hold it out. Beautiful. Keep going at your own pace. Try not to speed it up. I know it's tempting. Settling into that rhythm. If your mind starts to wander, Just focus back in on the counts. Counting yourself in silently. Just continuing for about 30 more seconds here. Keeping that spine upright. Notice if you've started to slump at all and just gently lift up your torso. You're doing a beautiful job. Just a few more rounds here. All right, Finish out your last round. And then you're going to return to a normal breath. And then you're going to exhale all that air out of your body one more time. Take a deep breath in. This time we're going to hold it at the top. Just feeling that shift in your body, In your energy, In your mind. Hold the breath. Notice if you feel some more clarity, More focus, More calm. When you're ready, Let it go out your mouth. Beautiful. One more time. Deep breath in. Fill up into your belly, Your ribs, Your chest, Your back. Hold it. Relax your face. Hold the breath with as much ease as possible. As long as you can. When you're ready, Just go ahead and exhale out your mouth. And then gently return to your natural breath. Take a moment to sit with the eyes closed, Observing any changes you feel in your body. Knowing that you have this practice available to you at any time you need it throughout your day. You don't have to breathe for this long. Even if you only have 30 seconds, A minute, Make that space for yourself. Carve out that time to take care of your body through your breath. Thanks so much for being here with me and I hope you have a great rest of your day.