4-Minute Deep Breathing For Tension Release

This is a deep breathing exercise used for patients suffering with chronic/complex pain. It is intended to reduce stress and muscle tension associated with these conditions while also improving oxygenation and blood flow in the tissues. This practice will assist with calming the sympathetic nervous system and is intended to also decrease anxiety.

Transcript

Okay,

So begin by finding a position,

Either lying down or sitting,

Where you feel alert and awake,

But also comfortable and relaxed.

And when you're ready,

Slowly allow your eyes to close or your gaze to soften.

And as you check in with the body,

Just simply notice if there are any areas that stand out to you that are tense or contracted and allow these areas to relax just a little if you can.

Some areas you might want to consider are the shoulders,

The hips and thighs,

Arms and legs,

Relax the belly,

The face,

The back,

Your hands and your feet,

And anywhere else you feel tension in the body.

And we'll begin the deep and easy by taking a slow,

Deep inhale,

Followed by an easy exhale.

Deeply in,

Easy out.

Continue on in this pattern.

Breathing in and following the breath as it comes in and feeling the body release its weight just a little more as the body breathes out.

Deeply in,

Easy out.

Deeply in and letting go.

If you can let go of any tension in the body as you exhale,

Allow the shoulders to sink down and away from the neck.

Allow the chest to soften.

Allow the space between the shoulder blades also to relax.

Deeply in,

Easy out.

Deeply in and release,

Release the weight of the body over to the chair,

Allowing the hips and thighs to be fully supported by the seat and the back to be fully supported by the backrest.

Letting go of anything you feel you don't need.

Little bit longer,

Deeply in,

Easy out.

Feeling the belly soft,

The muscles of the face soft,

Hands and feet also soft.

Just a few more,

Deeply in,

Easy out.

Deeply in,

Easy with the breath,

Easy with the body,

Easy with yourself.

May I be easy with myself.

And now allow your breathing to return to a normal rhythm.

Just simply notice anything that stands out to you in the body in this moment.

When you're ready,

Slowly allow your eyes to open.

Reviews

Great, quick meditation to calm ourselves through the breath. The cues to relax certain body parts were helpful reminders to keep them relaxed during the session.

I loved the deeply in. Easy out. I appreciated the body scan. I found the to a very helpful meditation especially considering it’s length. Often a shorter meditation is preferred either because of time or if having an anxiety attack. This feels less daunting. Many thanks.