Hello and welcome to this diaphragmatic or belly breathing meditation.
So diaphragmatic breathing is a pranayama breathing technique.
Prana means life force or the breath and ayama means to extend or control.
So together pranayama is really just the control of the breath.
It's been shown that taking slow deep intentional breaths can promote mental well-being and happiness.
So that is really what we're going to try to tap into today.
We're going to practice taking deep breaths into our belly to promote calmness,
To activate the parasympathetic nervous system,
To get us out of a stressful state so that we can really relax into ourselves and be present with ourselves.
So let's start by finding a comfortable position if you haven't already.
This can be sitting up or it can be lying down,
Whatever is more comfortable and welcoming to you.
The point of finding this position that works for you is to really release any strain or any tension,
Right?
We want to be able to relax into this meditation so any areas of tension coming from our posture can really take away from the meditation.
So finding this position and begin by closing your eyes.
Let's start by noticing your breath.
Noticing your breath so that you can come more deeply into the present moment.
Following it in and following it out.
Relaxing your jawbone,
Releasing any tension from your eyebrows,
Relaxing your shoulders.
Noticing if you're holding any tension still in your body and just kind of letting that go.
And as you continue to follow your breath in and follow your breath out,
Allow yourself to really arrive in this moment.
Noticing any thoughts of the day,
Anything that's to come or anything that's already happened.
You are present.
You are safe.
You are grounded.
Starting to follow your breath as you soften and deepen it,
Slowing it down as you inhale and exhale.
Now diaphragmatic breathing is essentially breathing deep into the belly instead of letting your breath stop at your chest.
And if you observe your breath throughout the day,
During times of relaxation and ease,
You're going to be taking more deep,
Slow breaths.
But during times of stress,
We tend to take short,
Shallow breaths that stop at our chest.
So with this practice,
We are going to be intentionally breathing into the belly to promote this parasympathetic response,
Promote this rest and digest and relaxation.
So if it's comfortable for you,
Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest.
And together as we breathe in,
Breathe into your belly,
Feeling your hand on your belly balloon out.
And then as you exhale,
Gently pull in your upper abdomen,
Feeling the hand on your belly come closer to you.
And just continue like that,
Breathing into the belly and out.
As we breathe,
Feel the belly expand and contract and just continue to breathe like that.
Breathing each breath with intention and with purpose.
Now as you're practicing this breath,
You might have thoughts moving through your mind,
Whether it's anticipation of what comes after this.
It could be judgments.
Just be a silent observer of these thoughts and let them continue,
But let them pass.
Not judging,
Not being harsh on them.
Just bringing your attention back to your breathing.
Breathing in,
Feeling your belly expand and breathing out,
Feeling your abdomen gently pull in.
I'm going to give you three minutes on your own just to continue practicing breathing like this.
Okay boom,
Okay boom,
Whew,
Whew,
Whew,
Whew!
Woo!
We're using the breath to bring us into a deeper state of meditation,
Into a deeper awareness,
A deeper presence.
Trying to breathe into your belly,
Feeling your belly expand and contract.
Everything marriageableまま始める.
Continuing to breathe,
Being gentle with yourself,
Being compassionate with yourself,
Being loving with yourself.
So the lungs are lined with nerves that connect with the autonomic nervous system.
And actually the top part of our lungs have nerves that activate the sympathetic nervous system,
Which is the stress response,
It's fight or flight.
But the bottom half of our lungs are lined with nerves that activate the parasympathetic nervous system,
Which is rest and digest.
So at a physiological level,
By breathing deeply into your belly,
You're actually causing this physiological response that lowers heart rate,
It lowers blood pressure,
It induces a state of peace and calm.
So continuing to breathe deep into your belly,
Noticing any calmness that it brings over you.
Noticing any peace that you might feel.
Noticing where you're at now compared to where you're at 10 minutes ago before you started this practice.
And knowing that this practice is just simply tapping into the power of the breath.
It is always available to you.
No matter where you are,
No matter if you have 30 minutes or just 30 seconds.
And that's a powerful thing.
Now I invite you to bring both hands over your heart as we finish out this practice.
Sending yourself some love and compassion because you are so deserving of that.
Allowing yourself to feel this love and compassion in return.
And when you're ready,
You can begin to bring some life back into your body,
Wiggling your fingers and your toes and blinking your eyes open.
Namaste.
