Find a place to be somewhere that you can breathe.
If you're seated,
Sit tall,
Without being stiff.
Or you could be lying down.
Let your shoulders relax.
And let's start to say hello to your breath.
Just recognize your breath.
Maybe it's been a while.
Notice the inhale.
Notice the exhalation.
Like getting a hug from an old friend.
You can really lean into your breath into its support.
And just take some time to find the familiarity of your own breath.
Slip into the privacy of your breath.
We're going to move into box breathing.
A simple but effective pranayama for bringing more evenness and balance into your being.
Continuing to notice your breath and its journey through four parts.
The inhale,
The exhalation and the spaces between them.
That moment of hover at the top of the inhale.
And the surrender and ease that you land in at the end of the exhale.
Those natural pauses between breaths.
Like the ocean tide that ebbs and flows.
There's a moment of slack tide between high and low.
And just like the tide,
There are many influences that affect its shape,
Its volume and velocity.
The moon,
The weather,
Winds and waves.
The geography of shape,
Volume and depth.
The weather of your week or day.
The shape of you.
So let's just take another moment to observe the local conditions.
Right here.
Right now.
Breathwork is as much about noticing and connecting to the breath as it is about the manipulation of breath,
Or about counting the breath.
Now that we've cultivated that,
We'll move into box breathing.
We'll count to four on all four parts of the breath.
So each part of the breath is even,
Like a square or a box.
So wherever you are in the breath,
Let's exhale.
So we can sync up.
Start to inhale now for the count of four.
Three,
Two,
One.
Pause at the top.
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale for four.
Three,
Two,
One and land at the end of the breath.
Relax the shoulders.
Inhale for four.
Three,
Two,
One.
Hold at the top.
Relax the corners of the eyes,
The chest.
Exhale for four.
Three,
Two,
One.
Land at the exhale.
Settle the belly,
The lower back,
The pelvis.
Inhale for four.
Two,
One.
Hold for four.
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale for four.
Three,
Two,
One.
Land and settle.
Inhale for four.
Smooth and steady.
Three,
Two,
One.
Hold for four,
But soften around that pause.
Exhale for four.
Three,
Two,
One.
Stay there at the end of the exhale.
Land in that place.
Inhale for four.
Three,
Two,
One.
Hold for four.
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale for four.
Three,
Two,
One.
Last hold out.
Now just take a clearing breath.
Breathe all the way in at natural speed and exhale out.
Take a few rounds of your natural normal breath.
And I'll give you space to do one more round of box breathing with your own count.
If you want to go a little faster or slower,
You can find your own rhythm,
But keeping that count of four on all four parts of the breath to find your own evenness.
So when you're ready,
Begin.
Find a real steady rhythm for the inhale and the exhale.
And soften around the pauses at the top and the bottom.
You may take a few more rounds in your own time.
And maybe take some time when you finish your rounds to notice the effects of the practice.
Give yourself gratitude for taking this time to breathe.
