Namaste.
Welcome to day two of our meditation journey.
Today I would like to explore pranayama or breath work with you before we settle into our meditation time.
The breath is a powerful tool to have in our meditation tool belt.
It has so many benefits.
Most importantly it keeps us alive and connected to our earthly journey.
It helps our body to relax as we release carbon dioxide.
To name just a few others,
It brings oxygen to our cells so that we can metabolize our food properly.
It massages the internal organs on its path through the body and stimulates the lymphatic system to keep us healthy and well.
In our practice so far,
The breath that I have been encouraging is called diaphragmatic breath.
This is when we breathe into the sides and back of the ribcage and feel the belly rise.
It strengthens the diaphragm,
Our breathing muscle,
For bringing in the oxygen that we require.
It can reduce blood pressure,
Heart rate and stress by cuing the parasympathetic nervous system to rest and digest.
In our culture we spend a lot of time using our sympathetic nervous system,
Also known as our fight-or-flight system,
So it's hugely beneficial to balance this out a bit.
There are so many breath work practices.
Insight Timer has a whole category for them.
I would recommend checking some of these out in addition to our practice today.
Today we will play with going a little more in depth with our diaphragmatic breath.
Find a comfortable position,
Either sitting up or lying flat on your back.
Imagine a string attached to the top of your head,
Drawing you up or longer if you are on your back.
Let one hand rest on your chest and the other on your belly.
In just a moment we will take three breaths together.
Three normal breaths.
You will just breathe as you normally do.
Focus with your hands on how the breath moves the body.
Ready?
Begin now.
Three normal breaths.
Notice how your hands move.
Where was the movement?
For most of us it is the hand on the chest that will move.
Now we will try the same thing but with diaphragmatic breath.
For our next three shared breaths we will experiment with bringing the breath lower.
You will breathe in and out through the nostrils.
We will hold the breath in the body for four seconds and then exhale for six seconds.
As I have mentioned before,
Lengthening the out breath cues the parasympathetic nervous system.
One more note before we begin.
Please listen to your body.
If you have pain or it is telling you no,
Listen to it.
When I first started meditating,
Breath cues were hard for me.
My anxiety was high and intense focus on my breath made me focus on mortality.
Notice where you're at.
I will guide you through these breaths now.
One hand on the belly,
One on the chest.
Gently breathe in through the nose.
Bring the breath down into the body.
Feel the hand on your belly rise for 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
One more.
Inhale for 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5.
That's it.
Take a minute to notice the effects on your body and mind.
Thank you for practicing this little bit of pranayama with me.
Now we will continue into our meditation time together.
We will be extending this quiet time to seven minutes today.
I will ring the chime to signal the start of practice.
Continue with your diaphragmatic breaths.
Notice the places where your body touches the ground,
The air in the room.
Notice the sounds,
The ones that are near,
Such as your breath,
My voice,
The music.
Notice the sounds that are further away,
Perhaps traffic,
Neighbors,
Weather.
See if you can notice without judgment.
Let the sounds move through you in your stillness.
Now let's have a check-in with the mind.
Is it fast?
Is it slow?
Can you put aside your to-do list for now?
Can you let your thoughts come and then gently let them go,
Perhaps like clouds moving in the sky?
Now that we have settled in,
I will stop talking so that we can begin our quiet meditation time.
A reconnection to our anchors.
Take any gentle,
Organic movement that your body is asking for.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
I hope that you are feeling empowered.
You are meditating.
You are increasing awareness of what goes on within your body and the impact of what you put out into the world.
Bring your hands to your heart in Anjali Mudra,
Or prayer position.
The light in me sees the light in you.
See you next for day three,
Where we will explore the body skin.
