Stress relief doesn't have to be complicated or take a lot of time out of your day.
It can be as simple as focusing on your breath.
When we are stressed,
The breath tends to become a little bit quicker and we tend to have longer inhalations compared to exhalations.
This can trigger panicky feelings,
So learning how to reverse this pattern can help you release that stress and come back to a calm mind.
I'm Beatrice and today I'll guide you through a simple breathing exercise that you can do at any time in the day.
You can do it from seated or lying down.
Go ahead and find a comfortable position,
A place that it's as quiet as you can,
But if it's not that's fine as well.
Simply begin by noticing how you're breathing right now.
Notice if you're breathing through the nose or the mouth without changing it.
Become aware of how fast or slow you're breathing still without changing it.
Become aware of how fast or slow you're breathing still without changing it.
And maybe even notice where you feel the breath in the body.
Perhaps you can just feel the air coming in and out the nostrils or the mouth.
Or maybe you can feel sensations and movement in other areas of the body such as the chest or the belly,
Even the back of the body or the sides of the body.
If possible for you today,
Begin to breathe through the nose only.
And as you have noticed the rhythm of your breath,
Can you bring that breath in balance?
So your inhale and your exhale are of the same length.
So you can use a count for this,
Meaning you can count your breath in for three and your breath out for three.
And you can work your way up to six if that feels better for you,
If your breath is quite deep.
So sit back and relax.
And you can work your way up to six if that feels better for you,
If your breath is quite deep.
And simply notice this count,
Notice how it feels to bring your breath into balance.
If your mind wanders at any point,
Just take it back to that count.
Maybe even begin to notice how it becomes more and more comfortable to take longer breaths in and out.
And you can continue with this.
If you feel very comfortable with your breath being balanced,
Begin to now elongate your exhale.
So for example,
If you're breathing in for four,
You can breathe out for five or six.
Noon.
You Again if your mind wanders just take it back to that count if you've lost the count start back from one on your inhale.
We'll continue together just for a minute longer.
And if you feel the need to do this for a bit longer to release more stress and tension you're welcome to continue for as long as needed.
Thank you so much for practicing the simple breathing technique with me.
Hope you join me again soon.
