Hello,
My name is Quiva and this is a short breath work practice.
So to begin,
Get yourself as comfortable as you can.
You can either be sitting or lying.
Feel free to use as many props as you like to make yourself as comfortable as possible.
So if you're lying you might prop the back of your head,
The back of your knees or your hips with a pillow or a blanket.
And if you're sitting,
You might use a pillow behind your lower back to help lengthen the spine and to garner as much space around the mid body and the ribs as possible.
So as you get settled,
It's a good time for me to remind you that breath work is a practice.
And it's okay to find it challenging and it's okay to be distracted.
A wandering mind is something we all have to work on.
The main focus should be your attention.
So as we move through this breath work practice,
Pay attention to your experience.
And any time you want to,
Know that you are free to breathe as you like.
So before we settle into relative stillness,
You might want to have a little bit of a move and a wriggle and get rid of any fidgets that you might have in the body.
And although stillness is something that you might come into,
It's always good to remember that you can move at any point through this practice.
So you might want to start with taking a nice few deep breaths.
If it's comfortable for you,
Closing the eyes or if that's not comfortable,
Then bringing the gaze nice and soft.
So let's have a little check in with how you feel mentally and physically.
Give yourself a moment to feel the body in its entirety.
Have a check in with the mind and note how you're feeling today.
Now without trying to alter or control the breath in any way,
Bring your attention to the body as it breathes.
And the next time that you inhale,
Bring your attention to the sensation as the inhale enters the body.
And follow this sensation to the top of the inhale.
As you exhale,
Notice the sensation of the exhale in the body and follow this sensation through to the end of the exhale.
Now you might start to notice the qualities of your breath.
You might notice the speed.
Is it fast or slow?
You might notice the texture.
Is it smooth or are there some bumps along the way of the breath?
Does the breath feel shallow,
Small,
Big or expansive?
Can you bring your attention to the muscles that are being used to breathe?
Can you notice the pauses between the inhale and the exhale?
That slight moment of suspension before a new breath begins.
Try not to bring any judgement to what you notice about the breath.
And remember thoughts will come and go and your mind will wander.
But when you notice it has wandered,
Can you notice how your thoughts register with your breathing?
Be gentle to yourself.
Be kind.
Have a little smile to yourself in recognition that the mind has wandered.
And then gently bring yourself back to the attention of the next breath.
Gently now bringing your awareness back into the room.
You might become aware of the points of the body that are in contact with the floor or the chair.
You might bring your awareness to the different sounds around you.
And then very gently either lifting your gaze or blinking your eyes open,
Coming back into the room.
