Hello and welcome.
It's Faye here.
I'm here to guide you through a three-part breathing practice.
This can be helpful for calming the body and mind and reducing anxiety and stress.
With this practice you will become aware of the breath in your belly,
Ribs,
And chest will gradually build upon each part.
Begin by finding a comfortable seated position or resting on your back.
Take up enough space to grow the spine long,
Avoiding compressing the belly.
Gently place both hands on the sides of your belly.
Soften the gaze or close them fully,
Relaxing the face and the jaw.
Allow your breath to be natural.
Can you feel where your breath is in your body?
Perhaps you already notice a natural rise and fall of the belly as you breathe.
Seal the lips and focus on breathing in and out.
Take a slow and deep breath,
Inhaling into your belly.
Feel the belly expand or inflate like a balloon.
As you exhale,
Feel the belly deflate and your navel softening back toward your spine.
Again,
Inhale noticing the belly expand fully and exhale noticing the belly sink back down.
Repeat this belly breathing at your own pace for three more rounds.
Now place both hands on the sides of your rib cage.
As you inhale,
Inflate the belly with air.
When there is no more air to fill the belly,
Draw in just a little more breath and send it to your rib cage.
Feel the ribs expanding and creating a space between each of them.
As you exhale,
Feel the ribs retracting and sliding closer together and then send the exhale to the belly,
Letting the belly naturally soften back down.
Inhale filling up the belly as much as you can and then finding a similar expansion in your rib cage.
On your exhale,
Release the air in your rib cage.
Then once that air has been emptied,
Focus on deflating your belly and allowing your belly button to sink back toward your spine.
Repeat this breath for three more rounds.
Move one hand up to your heart and the other towards your collarbone.
Inhale filling up the belly and then the rib cage with air.
Take in just a little more air and let it fill the upper chest all the way up to your collarbone.
On your exhale,
Release the breath first from the collarbone,
Then the upper chest area,
Allowing it to relax and sink back down.
Then your rib cage,
Allowing your ribs to sink back down and finally releasing any last bits of air in your belly.
You can move one hand to your belly and one to your heart space as a way to help guide your breath.
Inhale deeply into the belly,
Feeling the expansion and then bring the inhalation up to the rib cage,
Then to the chest and collarbone.
Exhale fully any old and stale air out from the collarbone and the chest and then the rib cage and finally the belly.
Continue this breathing on your own for at least three more rounds.
Return to your normal breathing pattern.
Allow your hands to rest comfortably in your lap or on your side.
Do you feel a little more at ease?
Perhaps your breathing feels easier and your mind is just a little more calm.
Great job practicing the three-part breath today.
Return to this breathing practice any time you need a moment to recenter and connect with your full breath.
Namaste.
