Hello,
I'm Amanda and today we're going to practice a simple breathing technique called box breath.
It's called box breath because we use four equal parts like the four sides of a box.
Each part of the breath,
Inhale,
Hold,
Exhale,
Hold,
Will be the same length.
This practice helps to calm the nervous system,
Clear the mind and bring us into a place of balance.
It can help reduce stress and increase focus.
We'll do this practice either sitting comfortably on the floor or a chair or if you feel uncomfortable like that you can lie down on your back,
Ideally not falling asleep,
And the way that it'll work is that we'll inhale through the nose for a count of four,
Hold the breath in for a count of four,
Exhale slowly through the nose for a count of four,
And then hold the breath out for a count of four.
That will be one full round.
Let's try a few rounds together and please keep in mind that if the count of four feels too long you can always shorten to three counts or even two counts and if it doesn't feel like enough and you want more of a challenge you can lengthen the counts as you need.
The most important part is to keep each side of the breath even.
Let's practice a couple of rounds together.
So find your comfortable seated position with your spine tall and your shoulders relaxed.
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Inhale through the nose for the count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Hold the breath in for the count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale slowly through the nose for the count of four,
Three,
Two,
One,
And hold the breath out for the count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale through the nose for three,
Two,
One.
Hold the breath in for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale slowly through the nose for three,
Two,
One.
Hold the breath out for the count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale deeply through the nose for three,
Two,
One.
Hold the breath in for the count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale slowly through the nose for the count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Hold the breath out for the count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Continue at your own pace for a few more rounds,
Taking three more rounds of breath here,
Following your own pace,
Inhaling and exhaling.
And then as you're ready,
Finishing up your final round of breath,
Releasing any control that you had over the breath,
Coming back into your natural inhale and exhale,
And just taking a few moments to allow your breath to settle,
Recalibrate.
Begin to check in with how you feel physically,
Mentally,
Emotionally,
Noticing any changes that have happened in the body or in the mind,
From just taking a few moments to breathe and tune in.
I would invite you to allow yourself to stay in this cozy bubble that we've created for as long as you can,
As long as you'd like.
I hope that you have a beautiful rest of your day and thank you so much for practicing with me today.
I'll see you next time.
Bye for now.
