Soothing rhythm breathing is a simple technique from compassion-focused therapy.
It is especially helpful when you are stressed,
Agitated,
Or struggling with difficult emotions.
For many of us,
We spend a lot of our time either in our threat systems,
Driven by fear,
Anxiety,
Anger,
Or in our drive systems,
Over busy,
Seeking resources,
Active.
And soothing rhythm breathing allows us to connect to a third brain-body system,
Which is our soothing system.
It has the capacity to activate our vagus nerve,
Which sends messages between our brain and our body that we are safe,
That we are content,
So that we can be more at peace.
When our soothing system is activated,
We have the capacity to have our attention be more broad,
To connect with others,
To connect with ourselves in a compassionate way,
To be pro-social in our behavior,
To explore the world,
And live more freely in line with our values.
So go ahead and close your eyes,
Find yourself a comfortable position,
And placing one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart.
Begin by making contact with your body right here,
Right now,
In this moment in time.
Noticing your face,
Allowing any tension to dissolve from your eyes,
Your jaw.
Allow your forehead to smooth,
And allow your shoulders to drop down your body,
Imagining the weight of the world being lifted up off your shoulders and placed behind you.
Just taking a few moments for yourself to get present.
Noticing the top of your head,
Noticing where your body touches the floor,
And then noticing the space in between where your breath resides.
And begin to slow down your breath,
Bringing special attention to where your belly is filled with breath.
Slowing down your inhale,
Slowing down your exhale.
Breathing in,
Mind slows down.
Breathing out,
Body slows down.
Breathing in deeply,
Expanding.
Breathing out completely,
Releasing.
Slowing the breath.
Allow your breath to slow to a point where you're drinking it in,
Like a cool glass of water.
Where you're breathing out,
And you feel all the tension release.
Breathing in,
Mind slowing down.
Breathing out,
Body slowing down.
And as you slow your breathing,
Begin to savor the breath.
Allow it to soothe you,
Calm you,
Return you to peace of mind.
Breathing in,
Body slowing down.
Breathing out,
Mind slowing down.
And you can bring awareness to your hands on your body as you slow your breathing down,
How your hands gently move with your breath.
Noticing where your hands make contact,
How your breath expands,
How your breath contracts and releases.
And taking in another slow,
Deep breath here.
Breathing in,
Mind slowing down.
Breathing out,
Body slowing down.
And then allowing your breath to settle back into its natural rhythm,
Natural pace.
And just taking a moment to notice the after effects of slowing your breathing down in this way.
Noticing how it feels to be in your body,
Any sensations.
And then expanding your awareness to sounds inside the room or space you're in.
Expanding your awareness to the temperature of the air on your skin.
And then taking your hands and placing them to namaste at your heart.
And just taking a moment to acknowledge yourself in this practice.
And may the benefits of this practice be carried with you throughout your day.
Knowing that you can return to this breathing anytime that you need to,
Anytime you want to activate your compassionate,
Soothing system.
And may the benefits of this practice be carried on to all that you encounter,
All beings.
Namaste.
Namaste.
Namaste.
Namaste.
Namaste.
