Hello,
And welcome to belly breathing.
This gentle guided meditation is to help you relax your mind and bring your body into rest and into balance.
You can do this any time of day when you need to relax and recharge,
Or you can do it in the evening,
Preparing for a great night's sleep.
If you are working towards weight loss,
You might be pleased to know that this exercise may help you find a more slim belly in the process.
In order to achieve optimal health,
We need to undo the result of the stress that we have carried with us.
This is a perfect way to begin that process.
Begin by sitting up tall in a chair or on your bed.
We'll begin with a few rounds of a gentle exercise to open your chest.
Go ahead and get comfortable.
Let's begin.
Sit up tall,
And as you inhale through your nose,
Pull your shoulders back to open your chest.
Keeping your shoulders low,
Exhale through an open mouth.
Repeat that motion again.
Inhale and gently squeeze your shoulder blades together,
As if I was holding a ping pong ball between your shoulder blades.
Exhale through your open mouth,
Rolling your shoulders forward and rounding your back.
Sit up tall again.
Inhale pulling your shoulders back and down,
Arching your back slightly to open your chest.
Maybe look up towards the ceiling or the sky.
Exhale,
Let your shoulders relax forward,
Round your back,
And let your head drop down.
This should feel like a seated version of the cat-cow poses you may have done in yoga.
Continue going back and forth a few more rounds,
Focusing on opening your chest and making room for fresh air,
And then exhaling and rounding your back,
Dropping your head ever so gently.
As you inhale,
Fill up with peace and calm.
As you exhale through an open mouth,
Let go of any stress you're carrying with you.
Feel free to make an audible sound like a sigh.
When you're ready,
You may remain seated upright,
Or you may choose to lay down in your bed or on the floor.
We're going to move into stillness.
You can relax your shoulders and chest,
However feels most natural to you.
Close your eyes.
We'll begin deepening our breathing now.
This time as you inhale,
Picture your lungs as a large,
Elongated balloon,
And fill them just into the very top third of your lungs.
Exhale with pursed lips like you're blowing out a candle gently.
This time,
Inhale,
Fill the balloon a little bit more.
Fill up the top and middle third of your lungs.
Exhale gently,
Emptying air first from the middle and then from the top.
I invite you to put one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.
Inhale deeply,
Filling that balloon all the way from the top,
The middle,
And now the bottom third of your lungs.
Feel your hand rise up a bit as your belly fills.
And now exhale,
Squeezing air first from the bottom,
Then the middle,
Then the top.
Squeeze out all of that stale air,
Even using your hands to press if you wish.
Inhale again,
Into the top,
Middle,
And the bottom.
Hold the air now for a count of one,
Two,
Three,
And then exhale from the bottom,
The middle,
And the top.
Hold the air out at the top for a count of one,
Two,
Three.
Continue at your own pace,
Inhaling to the top,
Middle,
Bottom.
Hold for a count of three,
And then exhale from the bottom,
Middle,
And the top.
Feel your hand rise and fall as you're moving air all the way down into your belly and out.
Continue at your own pace,
Keeping your shoulders relaxed,
Down.
When you're ready to let go,
Simply let your breathing return to a normal pace.
There's no need to control every breath.
There's no need to control it anymore.
Let your body take care of you.
It knows how.
Just let it breathe naturally.
You can trust that your body will not fail you.
You do not need to control everything.
Your body can take over from here,
Getting you just the right amount of oxygen at just the right time.
You can trust yourself.
You can let go.
As you relax into this place of peace and stillness,
Picture yourself in the most relaxing scene you can imagine.
Maybe it's in a lounge chair.
Maybe you're overlooking the ocean at sunset,
With the waves gently rolling in.
Maybe you're swaying in a hammock.
Or sitting at a lakeside,
Watching the mesmerizing flames of a flickering fire.
Maybe you're lying down in a meadow of wildflowers,
Relaxing in the warm sunshine,
Feeling the sunlight on your face.
Maybe you're lying in a pile of blankets at the bottom of a rowboat,
Gently swaying back and forth,
Side to side,
With the rolling waves.
Whatever it is for you,
Picture that scene,
And put yourself in that scene.
Drink up the surroundings.
Feel the gentle breeze as the relaxation washes over you.
Soak up that peace.
Embrace the relaxation.
Notice the peace inside your mind.
If your mind starts to wander,
Return to your breath,
And simply count your inhales and exhales.
Notice what it feels like for your body to be at rest.
There is nowhere you need to be.
This moment is for you,
Right here,
Right now.
Let your shoulders relax,
Sinking slowly down away from your ears.
Notice your belly rise and fall softly,
As you offer your body the life force of breath.
It comes to you with the greatest of ease.
There's nothing you need to do.
Simply allow yourself to be filled up with breath.
And allow your exhale to carry away any residual stress.
On your next inhale,
Let your breath move through your body,
Seeking any areas of stress,
Discomfort,
Unease.
The breath will gather all of it,
And will hold on to it,
So that as you exhale,
You can visualize a gray vapor coming out of your mouth,
Floating up into the air above you,
And getting swept away with a gentle breeze.
Watch your worries literally float away.
As you take another breath,
You scan your body once more for any sign of negativity,
Of worry,
Of fear.
The clean breath gathers it up for you,
And as you exhale,
Another wispy gray puff of air.
You're sending it away,
Out of reach,
Out of sight.
You feel completely alive,
And also completely at peace.
When you allow your mind to focus on your breath,
You allow yourself to be quiet.
To find rest.
To find relaxation and peace.
Listen to your surroundings.
Notice the sounds of nature all around you.
Take in the fresh fragrance.
Take a deep breath in to soak up the sensation of your most favorite surroundings.
This is your happy place.
Your peaceful place.
Notice how relaxed you are now.
How relaxed you feel in your mind,
In your body,
And in your heart.
This is peace.
This feeling is a gift you have chosen to give yourself.
It is an expression of self-love to return to this place.
Come back to this place often,
Anytime you wish.
When you're ready,
You may open your eyes and return to your room,
Carrying this fresh air with you.
Or,
You may stay here as long as you wish,
Breathing in relaxation and peace,
And eventually drifting off to sleep.
This is what it feels like to be truly at ease.
To be truly free.
