Hey,
I'm Chibs Okereke,
And over the next three minutes,
We're going to use the breath to send a calming signal through the body.
So whatever's going on today,
It's okay to set it aside,
Just for these few minutes.
Let's find a comfortable position.
Sitting or lying down,
Whatever feels good.
This is your time.
Eyes closed or open with a soft gaze.
Whatever feels more settling right now.
Let's begin with one big release.
Breathing in through the nose.
And then sneaking in a little more air on top.
And now a long,
Slow breath out through the mouth.
That's a physiological sigh.
Two breaths in,
One long breath out.
It's one of the quickest ways to tell the nervous system,
We're safe,
We can settle.
Let's do one more.
Breathing in through the nose.
A little more on top.
And a long,
Slow exhale.
And now we're going to lengthen the exhale.
And we'll keep that going for a little while.
Now the vagus nerve begins at the brainstem and then moves down through the chest and the belly and a slow out breath sends a real calm down signal along that vagus nerve.
Now a good way to lengthen the exhale is to do a little count inside our minds.
So let's breathe in for a count of three and out for a count of six.
Just following my count for a couple of rounds and then doing some more in your own time.
Breathing in,
2,
3.
Breathing out,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Breathing in,
2,
3.
Breathing out,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Doing a couple more at your own pace now.
Breathing in and slowly breathing out.
Let me be quiet for a few moments so you can carry on by yourself.
And now allowing the breath to come back to its natural rhythm.
And noticing how the body is breathing now.
Is the breath a little slower?
Maybe a little deeper.
Pausing like this,
Even for a few minutes,
Can sometimes make such a big difference to your day.
It might not clear everything on your plate,
But it can make it all feel a little more manageable.
And noticing how the body's feeling now.
And how the mind's feeling.
And gently opening the eyes if they were closed.
You're welcome to come back here anytime you need to reset.
Have a wonderful rest of your day.
