Or Welcome to this core foundation technique by Gabriella D'Amori.
I'm going to teach you proper and full belly breathing through our diaphragm.
This is the most important and fundamental step of proper meditation.
To breathe fully and completely is a gift we were given when we were born.
If you watch a baby,
Their belly will rise as they breathe in and flatten as they breathe out.
By the time we become adults,
Our breath is short and sharp and resides mainly in our chest.
So this meditation is going to unwind our bad adult habits and return our breath to its natural and correct state.
To breathe properly,
You're going to breathe in through your nose.
And as you breathe out,
Breathing out through your nose or your mouth.
But as you breathe in,
You want the shoulders to stay settled and the belly to come out like a balloon.
You don't want to puff the chest full of air.
You want the chest and the shoulders to remain settled and the belly instead to move out like a gentle balloon as you breathe in.
Try it now in your own time.
And when the belly is full and feels a little painful and you can take in no further breath,
Exhale deeply through the nose or the mouth,
Fully expelling all of the air in your belly and very gently squeezing the belly towards the spine a little,
Making sure that you fully exhaled the breath.
Try it again now in your own time.
As you breathe in,
The belly comes out.
As you breathe out,
The belly comes in.
Breathing in,
Belly out.
Breathing out,
Belly in.
It's important to make sure that both the inhale and the exhale are big,
Full breaths.
If you don't do this,
It'll be very difficult to take the next exhalation or inhalation.
Fully expelling the air throughout your nose or your mouth with your exhalation gives you that feeling that you want to gasp for air and it encourages you to take a nice big breath in on the inhale.
Similarly,
Breathing in fully and expanding the belly as much as you can gives you the feeling that you're really ready to exhale and exhale fully.
Each side of the breath helps each other to do it fully and properly.
Keep trying in your own time.
Breathing in,
Belly out,
Keeping the shoulders dropped,
The chest down.
As you breathe out,
Fully exhale all of the air in the belly,
Gently bringing the belly in towards the spine.
As you exhale,
Really fully make sure you're letting go of every part of the breath that's in your body.
Often,
We hold on to so much of the exhalation and it doesn't allow us to have a nice full inhalation,
Full of fresh air and fresh breath on the next breath.
Just check in you're doing that correctly on your next few exhalations.
And as you do so,
Allow each exhalation to unwind and relax the body a little more.
You're doing really well.
Continue to breathe at your own pace for a little bit longer,
Focusing on breathing in fresh and new air.
And as you breathe out,
Expelling old air out of the lungs,
Relaxing the body a little bit more with each full breath.
Breathing in,
Belly out,
Breathing out,
Belly in.
And as you continue to breathe,
You'll notice that your breath starts to settle and lengthen and you become more comfortable with the breath.
This is fantastic.
Keep breathing deeply and taking your time.
The ribs,
The chest and the shoulders will move slightly,
But you want to make sure that they are the last parts of the body that move.
And you continue to remain and give your focus fully to expelling the breath through the belly,
Pushing it out like a balloon as you breathe in,
Bringing it towards the spine as you fully exhale deeply.
Continue to practice in your own time.
Breathing in,
Belly out,
Breathing out,
Belly in.
See if you can practice this meditation throughout the day while you're driving,
When you're at work,
If you're feeling stressed or at home when it feels chaotic.
You don't have to stop and be in silence to do this breathing exercise,
Which is why you can build it into many parts of your day.
And I hope you do so.
Thank you for listening to this meditation.
You're welcome.
