Welcome.
I invite you to find your way into any comfortable seated position with your feet on the floor.
Adjust yourself for a little more comfort.
Close your eyes if that feels right and take note of your body.
How are you doing on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being super stressed out and 10 being relaxed and happy.
5 is I'm okay.
It's helpful to practice this technique when you feel calm so you have this practice to come back to when you need it.
I invite you to begin breathing deeply now.
We want to open the body to ready ourselves for this practice.
Placing a hand on the belly exhale with me now drawing belly to spine.
Take a big breath into your belly and low ribs then open your mouth exhaling through that open mouth.
Inhaling through your nose filling the body and exhaling through your mouth.
Continue breathing in this manner as I explain this practice.
We will be using the VOO breathing method.
VOO rhymes with you.
This helps regulate the nervous system by vibrating sound on the out breath which soothes the vagus nerve from the brain all the way down to the gut.
This optimizes our vitality,
Boosts our immune systems and lowers stress.
Peter A.
Levine,
Ph.
D.
,
Developer of this technique and author of the book Waking the Tiger suggests that trauma is not just an event but it's held in our nervous system hence stored in our bodies but our bodies have an amazing capacity to heal.
This technique supports the release of stress and trauma from the body.
For example,
Dr.
Levine mentioned a nurse who was working in an ER feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
When this nurse started using the VOO method she was able to continue to do the difficult work but she didn't carry the burden in her body.
This practice can sometimes bring up feelings or discomfort when the body is purging stress or trauma.
We want to allow this to unfold so after this breathing technique I will lead you through a body scan meditation to further anchor calm into your body.
Let's begin.
With your feet planted firmly on the floor adjust yourself for comfort.
Keep your hands on your belly so you remember to inhale easily into your lower body.
We'll be inhaling through our nose and exhaling with a deep guttural VOO sound through our mouths.
Just to model and you can try this with me it's not VOO but it's a deep sound.
Think of a fog horn.
The sound begins in your belly and it vibrates outward.
Try this with me.
Inhale,
Exhale,
And you keep that VOO sound for the full exhalation.
But don't try to keep up with my exhale especially to begin with.
Yours may be shorter so VOO at your own rate and keep your body relaxed.
We'll practice for about three minutes but you only may want to do a few rounds today.
That's okay you can increase your practice for up to five minutes.
If you become overwhelmed just breathe normally and place your hands on your heart.
You will get stronger.
Good.
Now exhale with me.
Inhale comfortably through your nose into your belly.
Pause.
Exhale Good.
No rush.
Inhaling comfortably.
VOO Inhale comfortably,
Pausing at the top.
Inhale,
Staying relaxed.
VOO Inhaling Relaxed shoulders,
Soft face.
Continue.
I'm right here with you.
Good.
Comfortable.
Inhale.
VOO Nice job.
Inhaling at your own rhythm.
VOO On the next two rounds,
We're going to add the WOW sound.
Follow me.
Inhale.
Start with VOO.
WOW Good again.
Good.
Two more VOO breaths.
Inhaling.
VOO Last one.
And when you're complete,
Let go of the breath and simply notice.
Notice how you're feeling.
Welcome the sensations or even emotions.
VOO And to integrate,
Just follow me through this meditation.
Relax your body.
Release your hands.
Become aware of your feet anchored to the earth.
Sensing the bones of the feet.
VOO Moving the attention up to the ankle bones,
Shin bones,
Up to the knees.
Feeling the long femur bones and the thighs.
Inviting the legs and feet to get heavy now.
VOO Bring your awareness to your spinal column.
Noticing the tailbone at the base.
As you move up to the sacral plate,
And sense how the pelvis branches out from the spine,
Wrapping around you.
VOO Sense your entire body heavy in the chair.
Grounded.
Relaxed.
As you move from the lower spine upward to you feel the ribcage wrapping around from the spine.
VOO Sensing the sternum or breastbone plate and finding the collarbones.
Open like a big smile across the top of your chest.
Torso soft and relaxed.
Noting the bones of the shoulders as you spill down the bones of the arms.
All the way to the wrists and hands and the bones of the fingers.
Relax as you bring your awareness now back to the upper back,
Shoulder blades,
And up the spine into the neck.
Locate the base of the skull and move up to the plates of the skull.
Coming over the top of the head to the plate in the forehead.
Softening the face as you sweep your attention into the bones of the eye sockets,
The cheeks,
And the jaw.
VOO Bring a gentle smile to your lips as you sense the bones of the body.
The whole body anchored.
Allow your attention to spill downward into your heart.
Perhaps moving both hands to your heart.
Giving your body a nice hug or a rock.
Filling yourself with so much love and gratitude.
Take a deep breath in.
Rating yourself on that scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being stressed and 10 being super relaxed.
Note the changes you may have experienced with gratitude.
I strongly suggest you come back and try this practice again,
Even if it was difficult the first time.
I sincerely wish you the best on your healing journey,
My friends.
Deep peace to you.
