Welcome!
I'm Esther and I'm here to guide you through a simple yet powerful deep breathing exercise.
We'll first take a few moments to ground ourselves,
Connecting with our bodies and our breath,
And then we'll gently deepen and lengthen our breaths.
When we breathe deeply using our diaphragm,
Our belly expands with each inhale and contracts with exhale.
This type of breathing,
Sometimes called diaphragmatic or deep belly breathing,
Signals to our nervous system that we are safe,
Promoting a sense of calm and relaxation.
Additionally,
Lengthened exhalations can reduce anxiety and enhance our mood.
It's a simple way to help manage stress and overwhelm.
Let's start by finding a comfortable seated position,
With your feet flat on the ground and your hands resting gently in your lap or on your knees.
Close your eyes if you feel comfortable or simply soften your gaze.
Taking a moment to notice the sensations in your body.
Feeling the connection between your feet and the ground.
You may sense the support of the chair beneath you.
Notice any areas of tension or relaxation.
There's no need to change anything.
Simply observe.
Now,
I invite you to bring your awareness to your breath.
Feeling the natural rhythm of your breathing without trying to control it.
Notice how your chest rises and falls with each inhale and exhale.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Shifting our attention to abdominal breathing now.
If you like,
You can place one hand on your belly,
Just below your rib cage.
This will help you feel the movement of your diaphragm as you breathe.
Breathing in.
And now,
Exhaling slowly and completely through your nose or mouth,
Letting your belly fold.
We'll aim to make our exhale a little longer than our inhale.
Let's try inhaling for a count of three and then exhaling for a count of four.
So,
Breathing in,
One,
Two,
Three.
And breathing out,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And continuing this pattern,
In for three,
Out for four.
Inhaling,
One,
Two,
Three.
Exhaling,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
See if with each breath,
Can you feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly?
Paying attention to the sensations of the breath moving in and out and how each long exhale brings a sense of calm,
Perhaps.
Inhaling,
One,
Two,
Three.
Exhaling,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
For the next half a minute or so,
Feel free to continue in the same pattern in your rhythm.
As we come to the end of this practice,
Take a moment to notice how you feel.
Maybe there's a sense of calm or ease and it's also fine if there isn't.
And remember,
This simple practice is always available to you whenever you need to ground yourself and find a moment of peace.
And when you're ready,
You can gently bring your awareness back to the room,
Opening your eyes if they were closed.
And I hope you can take this sense of calm with you into the rest of your day.
Feel free to journal about your experience for a few minutes.
Thank you for practicing with me.
