Hey there,
Welcome to your restorative breath journey.
Today we will be practicing three different breathing techniques that are designed to cultivate safety in your nervous system and bring about a sense of deep rest and relaxation.
The three breathing techniques that we will be journeying with today are a natural breath awareness to help settle you into the present moment and into your body,
Followed by nadi shodhana,
Also known as alternate nostril breathing,
And finally kapalabhati,
Also known as the skull shining breath.
To begin,
I invite you to take a comfortable seated position with your back straight,
Perhaps elevating your hips with a cushion or a pillow so that your lower back is comfortable throughout this breathwork practice.
Roll your shoulders comfortably back and make a few rotations with your head and neck,
Releasing any tension you hold by breathing gently and intentionally with each movement.
Make any final adjustments or movements that you are being called to make,
Beginning to notice and pay attention to the subtle communication that comes from the body.
This is your time,
Your space to unwind,
Settle in,
And let go.
Now,
Bring your awareness to how the breath feels in the body,
Noticing if it moves fluidly and freely or if there is some tension attached to it.
Without trying to change the breath or manipulate it in any way,
Simply notice the quality of the breath in this moment right now.
Shifting your attention now to the abdomen or the belly,
See if you can notice how the breath moves through this space.
Connect with the sensation of the belly rising and falling with each inhalation and exhalation.
Now,
Shift your attention to your chest and see if you can notice how the chest responds to the breath moving in and out of the body.
Use the observation of the breath in the body as an anchor to ground you further into the present moment,
Into the here and now.
Shifting your attention now to your nostrils,
See if you can notice the breath moving in and out of the nose.
Beginning now to make the exhale slightly longer than the inhale.
Using the power of the breath to move away from the thinking mind and giving yourself permission to simply be here right now.
We are now going to move the practice to alternate nostril breathing or nadi shodhana.
The intention here with this breath is to balance your energy and ground you into this moment and into yourself.
Begin by taking your right hand and simply becoming aware of your thumb and index finger.
Raise your right hand to your nose and block the right nostril with your thumb.
Breathing slowly and comfortably solely through the left nostril while your thumb stays blocking the right.
Inhaling through the left,
Exhaling through the left.
Inhaling through the left,
Exhaling through the left.
Inhaling through the left and exhaling through the left.
Now block your left nostril with your index finger,
Repeating the same breath on the right side.
Left nostril blocked and inhaling through the right and exhaling through the right.
Inhaling through the right and exhaling through the right.
One last time,
Inhaling through the right and exhaling through the right.
Switching over to the other side now and using the thumb to block the right nostril and taking five inhales and exhales solely with the left nostril.
Inhaling with the left and exhaling with the left for five full comfortable breaths.
Repeating the same breath on the right side now,
Holding the left nostril closed with the index finger and taking five full inhales and exhales solely through the right nostril.
When you are done with this breath,
I invite you to continue on on your own in your own count for five full rounds.
One round is five full breaths through each nostril.
When you are done,
Simply release your hand back to your knee and resume a natural,
Effortless breath.
Thank you.
Releasing the hand now and simply being with your experience in this moment as it is right now,
In this body as it is right now.
Letting go of this practice now and journeying with me to our final practice,
Kapalabhati,
The Skull Shining Breath,
Which is known as a cleansing practice,
Specifically a mental cleansing and clearing practice that supports you in releasing the intensity of the chatter in your mind.
If you find that your shoulders have slouched,
Readjust your seat so that your spine is upright and your shoulders are rolled back,
Giving ample space for your breath to move freely in and out of the body.
In this practice,
Your inhalation is slightly longer and passive and your exhalation is short and explosive.
Bring your awareness to the abdomen and gently force an exhalation.
It sounds like this.
Think of your belly as a pump.
On the inhale,
The belly inflates and on the exhale,
The belly contracts.
Engage with this rhythm,
This pattern on your own for 15 breaths.
Once you complete 15 full and comfortable breaths,
Simply allow yourself to rest in the experience and the sensations that come up as a result of this practice.
You may begin your 15 breaths now,
Continuing on your own.
And when you have reached 15,
Take a moment to just be.
Effortless inhale,
Effortless exhale,
Settling into this space,
Into this moment.
When you are ready,
We are going to do two more rounds of Kapalabhati for 15 breaths in each round.
Beginning now.
Continuing the breath on your own in your own count now.
Once you have reached 15,
Allowing yourself to simply be right here.
One last final round,
Beginning now.
Continuing on your own for 15 full breaths in your own count.
Once you have reached 15,
Allow yourself to simply be and tune your awareness to notice how the body and the mind feel different.
Allowing yourself to rest in this space with yourself,
Nowhere else to be,
For just a while longer.
I'll mind the time and you'll hear a meditation bell when your practice is complete.
Thank you.
You are welcome.
You are welcome.
You are welcome.
You are welcome.
