Welcome to this short guided pranayama exercise.
Prana is life force and pranayama means to control the breath.
So if you've been practicing yoga for a while,
You know it's all about the breath.
And even if you were just to lie on your mat and do nothing but focus on your breath,
That is yoga.
So today we're just going to take a few minutes and get nice and comfortable.
Whether you choose to sit up or to lie down,
Whatever position feels best for your body today.
Taking some time to settle in,
Letting the body get heavy,
And just letting go of any stress or tension that you might be carrying.
Just clearing the mind and connecting in with your physical body right here,
Right now.
And when you feel nice and settled,
Comfortable where you are,
I invite you to place a hand on your belly.
It can be one or both hands,
Whichever feels better for you.
And then once you're there,
For your next few rounds of breath,
I invite you to send that breath right down into the belly.
So you can actually feel your hand rising with the inhale and dipping back down on the exhale.
Beautiful breath flowing in and out through the nose.
Sending each breath deep into the belly.
And just continuing to inhale and exhale.
Sending the breath down into the belly.
And just noticing how that breath feels as the belly fills up.
And then how the body feels as you let the air out from the belly.
Taking five more beautiful breaths,
Filling up the belly.
And then as you come around to that sixth breath,
I invite you to fill the belly up again.
And then once your belly is full,
I invite you to sip a little bit more breath in,
Sending it into the rib cage.
So filling the belly with breath and then sipping in a little bit more air and sending it into the rib cage.
Continuing to inhale into the belly and then sipping in a little bit more breath into the rib cage.
Being mindful not to force or push the breath,
Just allowing it to happen naturally,
Softly,
As appropriately for your body.
Taking a few more rounds,
Filling up the belly and then sipping a little bit more air into the ribs.
And then when you're ready,
We're going to move into our final section of our three-part yogic breath.
Inhaling the breath into the belly,
Sipping in a little bit more air into the ribs.
And then sipping a little bit more into the top of the chest.
So belly,
Ribs,
And chest.
Really noticing how this expansion feels and staying present for the contraction as well.
Inhaling,
Sipping a little bit more,
And then sipping a tiny bit more,
And then letting it all go.
Continuing with this three-part breath for a few more rounds.
Moving at your pace,
What's appropriate for you,
Soft jaw,
Relaxed shoulders,
Just feeling beautifully comfortable.
And you can continue on with this breath,
This three-part breath,
As long as it feels right for you.
And if you feel like that's enough for today,
Just letting your breath return to its natural,
Normal rhythm.
And just staying where you are for a few more seconds.
Scanning through the body and just checking in to notice any shifts or changes that have occurred.
