Week 3 Relaxation Technique - Box-Breathing

Box-Breathing is a well known breathing technique in the SEAL teams and many other organizations. It is also known as square breathing or Sama Vritti Pranayama. Practice this technique each night before bed during week 3.

Transcript

This is the week three relaxation technique for 62 Romeo with Janelle. Please practice this technique each night before bed. Go ahead and find yourself in a nice easy comfortable seated position, Making sure shoulders are aligned over your hips, Crown of the head nice and tall, Feel the spine long. Let the shoulders relax and release down and back, Maybe releasing the jaw and any muscles that you find that are gripping here. Just allow that to soften a little bit more with each exhale. You can have eyes opened or closed. This exercise is called the box breath. It's simply using a four count on your inhale, Holding for two and exhaling for four count and holding at the bottom for two. So when you're ready, Begin to take a nice big deep inhale, Belly soft, Filling the lungs completely full, Bottom to top, Front to back, Side to side for a count of four and then hold full for a count of two. Exhale for a count of four, Gently draw belly towards spine, Get all the staler out of the lower lobes and hold empty for two and begin again. Inhaling for four, Hold at the top for two, Exhale for four, Hold at the bottom for two and do it again. So each of us have a different lung capacity, We might all be at a different count. So just use the count in your mind, Finding that four count all the way to the top, Holding full for two and riding that breath all the way down to the bottom for a count of four and holding empty for two and begin again. It's suggested to do this at least five or ten times and then you can allow that breath count to fall away and remain with those nice deep inhales and exhales until you feel done. There's no right or wrong way here and then just and then just notice how this feels in the body and the mind. Box breathing has the ability to relax the mind and body. The amount of benefit that you get from this is in direct relationship to the effort that you put into this. Sleep well.