Hello my friends.
Welcome back for another meditation.
Today's meditation is called the square breath.
So this is a breathing or pranayama exercise that involves the visualization of a square.
So as you inhale,
You'll imagine tracing up the left side of a square with your breath.
You'll pause at the top of your inhale with full lungs as you trace the top side of the square.
You'll exhale as you trace down the right side of the square.
And then you'll pause at the bottom with empty lungs as you trace and finish the bottom of your square.
So before we begin,
We're just going to bring awareness to the breath.
So find a comfortable seat,
Either sitting down on the floor or in a chair.
You could sit up on a cushion or pillow.
However you need to situate your body in space in order to feel comfortable for the next five to ten minutes.
As you sit,
Find length in your spine.
Ground down through your root,
The base of your tailbone,
The base of your sit bones.
Grow the spine up towards the ceiling,
Finding length in the sides of your waist,
Length in the side of your neck,
And stacking the crown of the head over the center of your heart space.
Remember to notice the breath now.
Just an easy inhale and exhale.
Not trying to shape it or do anything special with the breath.
Instead,
Just letting the breath be as it is.
Savor the sensation of breathing.
Trace the journey of your breath in and out of your body.
Start to lengthen your inhales and exhales now,
Aiming for a count of four.
So to practice,
Go ahead and empty your lungs of air and inhale with me for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Good.
Inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Keep going.
If you need to adjust your breath to the count of three or the count of five,
Feel free to do so.
Matching the length of your inhale with your exhale.
As you inhale,
Allow the chest and belly to expand.
And as you exhale,
Pull the navel in towards the spine,
Making sure you're getting all the air out.
Complete one more round of this even breath.
And then we'll start to add some pauses at the top of your breath and the bottom of your breath.
So starting with empty lungs,
We'll inhale for a count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Pause or suspend the breath,
Holding for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And pause at the bottom for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Pause with full lungs,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Pause at the bottom,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Pause for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Pause at the bottom for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Continue this cycle of breath,
Adjusting as necessary,
Working with whatever count feels best in your body.
And if the pauses create any sort of tension or panic or anxiety,
Please feel free to leave them out completely and just inhale and exhale.
Go ahead and release the pauses,
Coming back to the four-count inhale and the four-count exhale.
Just begin to observe how you're feeling.
Notice if there's any shifts in your physical,
Mental,
Or spiritual bodies.
Observe what took place for you.
Observe how you may feel differently,
If at all.
And then when you're ready,
Slowly begin to blink the eyes open,
Coming back into your space.
Thank you for practicing this square breath with me.
I look forward to meditating again with you soon.
Namaste.
