Hey again,
It's Davin.
Welcome to this practice where I will guide you in box breathing as a means for expanding your ability to find concentration and cultivate calm.
During our time together,
I will be supporting you with my voice,
Which is breath manifest into sound.
I'll be doing so as your guide,
But also as your soundscape.
With only my voice,
I've created a series of pulsing and changing chords that will hopefully uplift and support you on this breathing journey.
Whether you're experienced or new to box breathing,
Here are a few things I'd like you to consider before we begin.
First off,
This is in no way a measure of how good you are at breathing.
In fact,
Do your best to set aside any need to succeed or conquer during our time together.
The truth of the matter is,
This practice is an opportunity to explore letting go,
Which may seem paradoxical because we're going to be talking about extending and controlling the length of your breath.
But think about it like this.
There are many,
Many natural rhythms to your breath,
And this is just one of them.
Your only job here is to explore this rhythm,
This pulse,
To use your ability to concentrate and focus on your inhalation and your exhalation,
Because science tells us that it will help cultivate more calm in your life by activating your parasympathetic nervous system.
Second,
We call these practices for a reason.
It might take time and repetition to develop the skill and the ability to sustain your breath over the counts with which you're being asked to do so.
If at any point in the practice,
Things start to feel hard,
It's probably because they are,
So feel free to tap out,
Give yourself a break,
Reset,
Start over,
Or quit completely and come back tomorrow.
Maybe build up your endurance over a period of time of days,
Weeks,
Months.
However it is,
Listen to your body and listen to the ways in which this practice might best serve you.
Please note that if you are pregnant,
Box breathing is not an advised practice.
And if you are a trauma survivor,
Do understand that breath retention practices at times can be triggering,
So proceed with knowledge and understanding of your unique experience.
Finally,
I've got you.
I'm here for you.
I'm going to support you in this journey.
So with all of that in mind,
Let's do it.
Begin by setting yourself up in a comfortable posture.
Whether you prefer to be seated or lying down,
The two most important things to consider are that your ribcage feels upright and expanded,
And that your lower abdomen,
Your belly can be free to also expand on your inhalation.
The breath we will be utilizing shouldn't carry with it tension.
This is not about gasping for air,
But rather settling into a slow,
Warm,
Expansive inhalation and exhalation.
We'll begin by doing this for four count increments.
We'll then move to six and then to eight.
The box goes like this.
You breathe in for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And then you hold two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
And hold two,
Three,
Four.
Just like that.
All right.
If you're ready,
Let's begin.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe in two.
Breathe out two.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Hold.
You're doing great.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
And breathe in.
Breathe out.
And release the practice.
Good job.
Wonderful.
Take a moment to settle,
To reset,
And we'll move on to our six count box.
Breathing in for six.
Retaining for six.
Exhaling for six.
And again,
Retaining for six.
All right,
My friend.
Here we go.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Breathe in two,
Three.
Hold two,
Three.
Hold two,
Three.
Breathe out.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
One more time.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Oh,
You're doing wonderfully.
Go ahead and relax.
Take a moment to reset.
Recompose.
Allow your breaths to settle for a moment,
And shortly we'll move on to eight counts.
And let's begin.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
And hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
And hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four,
Eight.
And hold two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe in six,
Seven,
Eight.
And hold.
Breathe in.
Okay,
Release the practice.
My friend,
You did so well.
So now,
Rest in the fruits of your labor.
Relax.
Thanks for practicing with me.
Until next time,
Peace.
