3 Part Breathing - Dirga Pranayama

A guided 3 part breathing (Dirga Pranayama/Full Yogic Breath) Breath Practice. This breath practice helps us expand into the fullness of our breathing, release tension and tightness in the body, encourages more effective breathing, and brings more oxygen into the body. Breath work is proven to calm the nervous system, improve heart rate variability, and reduce stress.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this short breathwork practice. Let's begin by getting settled. You can either be lying down or sitting. If you are sitting perhaps using a pillow or blanket behind your back to maintain a nice long spine with plenty of space around the lungs. Whatever position you've come to do whatever you need to make yourself as comfortable as possible in order to be able to focus on the breath for the next few minutes. So if that means having a stretch or a wriggle before we start then please take this time to do that. As always it's good to remember that breathwork is a practice. The breath and the mind have a reciprocal relationship. So that means when we feel anxious or stressed this is reflected in our breath. Our state of mind affects our breathing but our breathing can equally affect our state of mind. So here we are training ourselves to become aware of our breath but also how to use our breath in times of difficulty. And as with all practices it can be challenging at the beginning but I hope that you will start to see how your breathing is one of the most accessible tools for your own well-being. And as always know that at any time during this practice you are free to breathe as you like. So once you're settled bring the gaze soft or the eyes to close and start to focus on your own natural breathing without feeling any pressure to alter or change it. You might follow the sensation of the inhale as it moves through the body and then follow the sensation of the exhale to the end of the exhalation. Can you start to notice the rhythm of your breath? Is it fast or is it slow today? Can you notice the size of your breath? Perhaps it's shallow or perhaps it feels big and expansive. Can you become aware of the pauses between the breaths? From here we are now going to bring the focus of our breath to the belly and if it feels comfortable you might place your hands there bringing your two thumbs to touch just above your belly button with your fingers pointing down towards your pubic bone. Start to encourage the breath to move towards your hands. This doesn't have to be a big movement not trying to engage the muscles of the abdomen but just using the breath to gently lift and lower the belly. Bring your focus and your hands now to the sides of your ribs and if it's comfortable moving your thumbs towards the back of your ribs and your fingers towards the front. Send the breath into this area and notice how the ribs expand outward. Now moving your breath to the chest and perhaps placing your fingertips towards your collarbones. Allow the chest to rise and the collarbones to widen. Send the breath into the armpits and notice the shoulders widening. Incorporating all three areas now you might place your hands in the area you struggle to feel the breath the most. So now as you inhale allow the belly to rise the ribs to expand and the chest to rise and widen. Exhale as you inhale allow the belly to rise the ribs to expand and the chest to rise and widen. Exhale as you inhale the belly rises the ribs expand and the chest rises and widens. Exhale inhale belly ribs chest exhale inhale belly ribs chest exhale Inhale belly ribs chest exhale. Inhale belly ribs chest exhale. Inhale belly ribs chest exhale. Inhale belly ribs chest exhale. Inhale belly ribs chest exhale. Inhale belly ribs chest exhale. Inhale belly ribs chest exhale. Inhale belly ribs chest exhale. Continuing this in your own time now allowing the breath to come in and out like a wave. Gently releasing now and returning to your own natural breathing and slowly coming back into the room. Thank you for your practice.

Reviews

Exactly the practice I need to begin breathing properly again for swimming and mental clarity. Thanks so much.

Thank you , very powerful and relaxing ! 😊