Hello and welcome to day two of Insight Timer's Building Healthy Habits Challenge.
Let's take a moment to get settled.
Close your eyes,
Take a deep breath in and exhale out.
Let's dive into today's healthy habit.
Hello and welcome to the Building Healthy Habits Challenge here on Insight Timer.
During this challenge,
You're getting to know a wide range of different wellness techniques and self-care practices to help you craft a routine that works for you.
My name is Stuart Sandeman,
Best-selling author of Breathe In,
Breathe Out.
And today,
I'll be introducing you to a simple yet powerful breathwork technique that's been part of my morning routine for the last few years and is my go-to technique to reset my body and mind throughout the day.
It's a practice called box breathing.
It's called box breathing as we breathe with four equal parts.
In for four,
Hold for four,
Out for four,
And hold for four.
In this practice,
Because your in-breath and out-breath are of equal lengths,
It's an effective way to balance your sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of your nervous system.
So you feel on and off in equal measure,
Energized yet calm.
So it's the perfect technique to bring a bit of flow to your day,
An effortless ease,
Which is why I come back to it as much as I can as part of a daily routine.
The short holds in this practice may feel a little bit challenging,
But stick with it if you can.
These holds will slow your breathing down even more,
And the rising carbon dioxide level will help your whole breathing system and breathing economy reset,
Which means the more you practice it,
You'll start to get more and more energy from your breath over time.
So let's get started.
Find a comfortable position,
Seated or lying down.
Close down your eyes to bring your attention inwards.
For this practice,
You'll use your diaphragm and nose to breathe in and out.
And at the start of every practice,
I like to set intention.
So as you settle into your body,
I'd like you to drop from your head into your heart space.
Feeling your heart beating in your chest.
Feeling the pulse your heart sends throughout your body.
Just tuning in to your heartbeat.
Thanking your heart for beating.
And asking your heart,
What do I need right now in this moment?
What do I need right now?
Allow some space for the answer to form.
Good.
So now with our intention set,
Let's move into our box breathing practice.
In for four,
Hold for four,
Out for four,
And hold for four.
So place both hands on your belly so you can feel it rise and fall,
And breathe in through your nose,
Feeling your breath expand into your belly for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Good.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And out through your nose,
Feel your belly fall,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And hold,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Good,
You've got the rhythm,
So let's keep that going.
Keep flowing.
In,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And hold,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Good.
In,
Belly rise.
Hold,
Calm and still.
And out,
Relax your body,
Relax your mind,
And hold.
In,
Hold,
And out,
And hold.
You've got this.
In,
Hold,
And out,
And hold.
In,
Feel your belly rise.
Hold,
Calm and still,
And out,
Let your shoulders drop,
Face relax,
And hold.
For any peace and stillness,
Keep going with those counts in,
Hold,
And out,
And hold.
In,
Hold,
And out,
And hold.
In,
Belly rise.
Hold,
Calm and still.
And out,
And hold.
Let's do four more rounds.
In,
Hold,
And out,
And hold.
In,
Hold,
And out,
And hold.
In,
Hold,
And out,
And hold.
Okay,
Final round.
In,
Hold,
And out,
And hold.
Just releasing the counts and sitting here in stillness,
Noticing how you feel,
Noticing your body,
Your mind,
Being aware of any sensations,
Noticing a sense of calm,
Maybe some more energy,
Some peace,
Maybe even connecting back to your intention.
Slowly coming back into your body,
Wiggling your toes,
Your fingers,
Loosening your neck,
Maybe even having a stretch,
Whatever feels good.
When you feel ready,
You can open your eyes and come back into your space.
So thank you so much for joining me.
Please let me know how you feel in the comments.
And if you have enjoyed the session,
I'm Stuart Sandeman,
So come find me for more breathwork here on Insight Timer.
