4-7-8 Breathing For Anxiety & Sleep Support

Breathing techniques offer instant medicine to an unregulated nervous system. This technique, called 4-7-8 breathing, is an emotional regulation tool and involves inhaling through the nose for a count of 4, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and then exhaling through the nose for a count of 8 seconds. It can bring immediate relief to an anxious mind and body, help you to calm the nervous system before sleeping, or even be used between daily activities to counteract busyness and overwhelm and promote presence.

In this meditation, I will guide you through the practice, counting with you as we go along.

Transcript

Hi friend, Welcome to this breathing exercise. I love meditation and I think just sitting down and following our breath can be so supportive and beneficial, But I also think that there is a place for controlled breathing exercises and particularly when we are feeling like frazzled or anxious or really uptight, Breathing practices can help to regulate our nervous system and bring us back into the body and out of the mind. So this breathing exercise is called 4-7-8 breathing and it can be used anytime, But it can be especially helpful when you're feeling really anxious or wound up or even before you go to sleep and you just want to help your body relax. And so how it works, It's pretty simple and I'll guide you through it here in just a moment, But we will inhale for a count of 4 and then hold the breath for a count of 7 and then we will exhale for a count of 8. So before we do that, Let's just go ahead and find a seated position or you're welcome to lie down as well, But wherever you're at you want to be comfortable. Your eyes can be either open or closed, But if you keep them open I suggest letting your vision rest on a single point so that your gaze softens and your periphery blurs and begin to just see where you can soften in the body. Maybe it's in the forehead or the jaw, The shoulders, Hands, Belly. Just bring in a sense of, Huh, I've arrived. I'm able to pause. See if you can find relief in the body just from that and begin to notice the breath as it moves in and out of your nose. Noticing the rise and fall of your belly or your chest and see if you can let the air move in and out of your body in an effortless way. Sometimes we really want to control the breath, Especially if we're feeling uptight, But the truth is that the body will breathe itself regardless of our control of it and so we can relax into this. So in just a moment we will begin the breathing exercise and I'll guide you as you inhale for a count of four and then you'll pause for a count of seven and then exhale for a count of eight and as you inhale see if you can bring the breath into the lower abdomen and then let there be a softness in the body as you pause and then on the exhale breathe slowly through the nose as you contract the abdomen. So let's begin by letting out all of the air that you currently hold in your body and then inhale for 1, 2, 3, 4, Pause, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Exhale, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Inhale, 2, 3, 4, Pause, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Exhale, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Inhale, 2, 3, 4, Pause, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Exhale, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Inhale, Pause, Exhale, Inhale, Pause, Exhale, Inhale, Pause, Exhale, Inhale, Pause, Exhale, Inhale, Pause, Exhale. Now see if you can continue on your own count. So inhale, Breathe deeply into the belly with each inhale and a slow exhale as you soften. Just a couple more rounds. Now take a deep breath and a slow exhale through the nose and let go of all control, Letting your breath return to its natural rhythm. Just take a moment to notice how your body feels, What the activity level is like in the mind, And if anything has changed from when you began this practice to now. And just acknowledging the power of the breath.