This is a breathing and relaxation practice for when you just need 10 minutes to have a break and just chill.
If you can lie down.
So your bed or the settee can just take your weight for a while.
To just get yourself comfortable.
Leave your eyes open or close them,
Whatever feels right for you right now and you can change that during the practice if you want to.
And just become aware of your body on the bed.
And that sense of gravity.
Pulling you down.
And that support that the bed is giving you.
It might be in your life that you're supporting others or have children.
And you're constantly being there for other people.
This is about just taking some time out just for you.
So it's just feeling your body on the bed and just becoming aware of your breathing now.
Not trying to change it in any way.
Just having that awareness of breathing in.
And breathing out.
In and out in your own time.
If your mind wanders,
That's completely normal,
Just bringing it back to your breath.
Just feeling,
Maybe for the first time today,
How that feels for your body to be breathing.
And just notice where you feel it the most.
It could be in your chest,
Could be in your belly.
What we're going to be doing,
I'm going to breathe a little bit more into your belly because that's the kind of breathing that really starts to relax you.
So if you're feeling stressed,
Then this can really calm you down.
So just in your own time.
Just slightly lengthening the out-breath now and you might want to do a sigh or force it out a little bit if that feels good to you.
Again,
If you don't feel comfortable with doing a longer out-breath,
Just breathe normally.
Just taking this time will be beneficial in itself,
But if you can,
Just start lengthening that out-breath.
And then this is just slowing everything down,
Your autonomic nervous system calming that stress response.
Now,
If you can.
.
.
And don't worry if you can't.
Just breathe in to four counts of your own counts.
So they don't have to be seconds.
It can just be one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And then just breathe for eight.
So one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Breathe out for eight.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
If that's too long,
At any point,
Just again,
Just do what you need to do.
Just focusing on really softening your belly.
If you're able to just let any tension go in your belly area,
Then that tends to allow more air going into the lower part of your lungs,
Which makes your belly rise.
So just 1,
2,
3,
4 and then the next thing we're going to try is just holding your breath for a count of 7.
And then again.
Breathing out to eight counts.
This is called four,
Seven,
Eight breathing.
So breathing in to four,
Holding.
For seven.
And then breathing out for eight.
And also what this does while you're actually counting.
It takes you out of your own head really and any stories that you're telling yourself about what's going on or worries or anxious thoughts or what this person's done to you or whatever,
Just focusing on the counting and the counting.
And this mindfulness is just really good for your body and your mind.
So if you've settled into that four,
Seven,
Eight breathing,
Then great.
If not,
Just breathing how you want.
And just now,
Just letting go of that counting.
And we're just going to tune into some of the more physical sensations.
So again,
Feeling your body on the bed probably,
Hopefully feels quite different than it did when we started this.
Just feeling that connection with your body on the bed.
Your feet.
Your likes.
Your palm.
Your back.
Shoulders.
Your arms.
Your hands.
And last of all,
Your head,
Just really feeling that sense of support.
Just taking this time.
Just allowing everything.
To just settle.
If you have any worries or different kind of thoughts that are difficult,
Just acknowledging them and letting them go,
Bringing it back to the physical sensation of the bed.
Your body lying on the bed,
Just breathing,
Just being,
Not having to do anything.
Not having to go anywhere right now.
Just allowing that tension to just melt away.
Any physical pain or discomfort,
Just melting away.
I'm just feeling that support.
Of the bed on the floor,
Grounding you.
Into the earth.
And feeling the safety of the walls around you.
It might be that you were stressed before,
You might be stressed again after,
But just taking this time out just to breathe and just to be and to feel that support.
It's just a really good break for your body and your mind.
And again,
Just tuning into your breathing,
Feeling your whole body breathing.
Feeling it as one entity from your toes all the way up to your head.
And down to your fingers.
I'm just doing a quick scan.
Of your body.
Physically,
How you're feeling.
In the different areas,
Feet,
Legs.
Pelvic region.
Your front and your back.
Your arms.
Shoulders,
Neck and head.
Just noticing what a difference it feels like to have done this practice and taken some time out for you.
And try and take this into the rest of your day.
And just having that memory of this time and remembering you can do this practice at any point just to chill out and calm down.
As we're coming to the end of the practice,
Just in your own time.
Maybe opening your eyes if they're closed,
Giving yourself a stretch.
I'm just getting up slowly and just noticing how your body feels right now.
Thank you.
