When you're stressed,
Your body starts to collect and store tension.
Your system goes into overdrive to counteract,
Leaving you with a fast beating heart,
Shallow breathing,
And other telltale signs of stress like sweaty palms or stomach pains.
Today we will be practicing a breathing exercise used to tap into the exact area you're holding stress and tension.
To recognize that stress is a very real physical feeling inside of you.
If you're ready to loosen the knots you're feeling in your stomach right now and break up the heavy nervous energy that you just can't shake,
This one's for you.
Take a moment to get settled in.
While you can do this practice in any position,
I recommend sitting with your back straight.
There will be an inhale through your nose for the count of four,
A hold of seven,
And an exhale for eight.
Let's first center by taking in a slow deep breath in through the nose and letting it back out.
Shifting your attention to how natural your breath feels right now.
Feeling your stomach rising and falling as you continue to breathe,
Searching for the areas inside of you that are holding on to the physical tension and stress.
For the next several breath cycles,
You're going to follow my voice as I guide you through a breathing practice.
To begin,
Empty the air from your lungs entirely and as you sit for just a moment,
Feel the stomach and the lungs constricting inward,
Closing your mouth and quietly inhale through your nose,
Breathing in slowly for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Feeling the internal pressure,
Holding your breath at the top for a count of seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One,
And exhaling with a whooshing sound for a count of eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Once again,
Using this moment to find the tension and holding it into place and now breathing in for two,
Three,
Four,
Gently holding for seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And exhale with a whooshing sound for seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Feeling the weight and stillness as you once again pause and then breathing in through the nose for two,
Three,
Four,
Finding any tension as you hold for seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And exhaling for eight counts as you feel an overwhelming sense of relief.
Let your breath slowly normalize,
Letting your body drift a little more into a state of ease.
As you rest,
Notice any shifts in the way your body feels.
You may be experiencing a little lightheadedness or shortness of breath and I want you to know that this is normal.
Any physical response is part of learning to breathe more slowly and purposefully,
Feeling how the tension is just a little less intense than it was when we started.
With practice and repetition,
You can teach your nervous system to do some incredible things and just like any type of meditation,
Breathing exercises are a practice.
Regularly practicing breathing,
Especially during times when you're not stressed,
Trains your body to naturally use breathing as a resource and a stress response.
The more you do it,
The more you will strengthen your lungs and this breathing technique gets easier every time.
