Welcome to this breathwork practice,
Which is called Five Finger Breathing.
You can try this any time you're feeling stressed,
Anxious,
Agitated,
Angry or any other high energy state.
This practice will help activate your parasympathetic nervous system,
Which will induce feelings of calm,
Peacefulness and relaxation.
This is called the rest and digest response,
Which is the opposite of fight or flight.
It can also be helpful if you're struggling to sleep,
Especially if you focus on relaxing your whole body as you move through the practice.
Five Finger Breathing is a bit different from most breathing practices,
Because it's a multi-sensory experience,
Where you not only focus on the flow of your breath as it travels in and out of your body,
But also the movement and sensation of one hand touching the other,
Slowly and with a mindful focus.
So,
Let's begin.
Five Finger Breathing requires the use of both hands.
One hand,
Probably your non-dominant hand,
Will be your base and won't move.
The other hand will be used to trace your fingers.
It doesn't matter which you choose,
But it might be easier to use your dominant hand,
The one you write with,
For tracing.
To start,
Hold your base hand out in front of you with your fingers spread comfortably apart.
Your eyes can be open or closed,
Whichever feels most comfortable for you.
Then place the index finger of your tracing hand at the bottom of your thumb on the base hand,
Where your thumb meets your wrist.
Then begin slowly tracing your index finger up to the tip of your thumb.
Take a slow breath in through your nose until you reach the tip of your thumb,
Then begin tracing your index finger down the inside of your thumb,
Exhaling through your mouth as you do.
Then carry on with the same process up and down your index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger and little finger.
As you trace each one,
Continue breathing slowly and deeply.
Allow your out-breaths to get a tiny bit longer each time,
And see if you can let your whole body relax,
Bit by bit,
With each breath.
When you've traced your whole hand and reached the bottom of your little finger,
Reverse direction and go back the way you came,
Moving towards your thumb.
So,
Little finger,
Ring finger,
Middle finger,
Index finger and thumb.
Keep breathing deeply as your tracing finger moves up and down,
In through your nose,
Out through your mouth,
Feeling every cell in your body release,
Relax and settle with each out-breath.
Continue the practice as long as you need.
Some people find one round,
Forwards and backwards,
Is enough,
But you can repeat the process as many times as you like,
Especially if you're feeling something intense and need to spend a few minutes focusing on your breath to reduce that intensity,
Come back to a place of balance and regulation and find a little peace in your day.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes and then mindfully scan your body,
Taking a few moments to notice and enjoy the relaxation in your body and mind.
Then re-engage with your day,
Taking your new-found feelings of calm and relaxation with you.
Thank you for practicing with me and I hope you have a lovely day.
