This is a diaphragmatic breathing exercise designed to guide you from the stress of fight or flight mode into a state of ease,
Of rest and digest.
You can practice this technique while standing,
Sitting or lying down but get as comfortable as you possibly can here and then take a few moments to settle into your body.
For this practice your only focus is on slow deep nostril breathing.
Give yourself permission to be only here and nowhere else.
Your tasks,
Your work,
The rest of the world can wait as you take this moment to re-center and come home to yourself.
As you settle,
Bring your awareness to the surface that's supporting you right now.
Feel your weight,
Feel the stability of your body and invite a sense of grounded energy into your entire being.
Gently place your right hand over your belly and your left hand over your chest and if it's comfortable for you,
Softly close your eyes.
Now take a deep breath in through your nose and notice which hand moves more here.
Is it the hand of your chest or the one on your belly?
While there isn't necessarily a right or wrong way to breathe,
If you're breathing you're doing it right,
But most of us spend much of the day shallow breathing,
So breathing mostly into our chest.
We'll change that now in this practice.
On your next breath,
Slow everything down.
Begin to feel not only your chest expanding but also your lower ribs widening and your belly lifting and filling.
As you exhale,
Release the breath slowly,
Feeling the gentle deflation of your belly,
Your ribs and your chest as your navel draws back towards your spine.
Take a few more breaths like this,
Inhaling deeply,
Filling your lungs,
Lower ribs and belly and as you exhale,
Allow everything to soften and settle.
Our diaphragm moves with our breath.
On the inhale,
It moves downward,
Creating space in the lungs to expand and on the exhale,
The diaphragm moves up again,
Helping the flow of air to move outward.
As you continue with this technique,
You might feel a lot of movement of your belly or it might be very subtle.
The experience is entirely yours.
Diaphragmatic breathing can be challenging for some but it does become easier with practice.
Just stay with your breath.
Feel the movement it creates in your body.
On your next inhalation,
See if you can count to four or possibly even higher.
Each person will experience this differently and over time your breath may change.
There should be no force or discomfort with this inhale but it should be full,
Comfortable,
Bringing a sense of ease.
Inhale again and this time exhale just a bit longer than your breath in.
Continue breathing,
Letting each breath calm your body and mind.
Notice how this gentle rhythm pulls you out of stress and anchors you in the present moment.
Meet me on an exhale.
Now as you breathe in,
Allow your belly to expand out as much as possible,
Even feeling the spaces between the ribs gently stretching and then as you exhale,
Slowly begin to pull the navel towards your spine,
Helping the air move out of the body.
Again,
Breathe in deep and full.
Breathe out long and slow.
Continue this breath in and out and feel the space it creates within your body.
Allow each exhale to release any stale air or tension in the body.
Settle into the space of ease.
Now gently allow your breath to return to a steady,
Natural rhythm.
As we come to a close,
Take a moment of gratitude for your body and your breath.
Carry this peaceful energy with you into the rest of your day.
Thank you for sharing this moment of breath with me.
