Box Breathing With Om For Nervous System Regulation

If you are experiencing anxiety, intrusive thoughts, or nervous system dysregulation, this breathing meditation will help guide you back into a calmer, more regulated state.

When the nervous system becomes overwhelmed, we can move into fight/flight/freeze mode, where the mind feels busy, restless, or stuck in repetitive thinking. This meditation uses a simple yet powerful box breathing technique combined with the soothing vibration of Om on the outbreath to calm the mind and support nervous system regulation.

Box breathing creates a steady rhythm of inhaling, holding, exhaling, and pausing, helping activate the vagus nerve and gently shift the body out of fight/flight/freeze and back into a state of presence and relaxation.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this practice today which is a box breathing OM practice. My name is Gemma Sandwell and I'm looking forward to spending this time with you. This practice will help you to reset your vagus nerve, To regulate your nervous system and to bring you into a state of presence. So the principle behind this practice is based on mindfulness and I hope you enjoy. So what we are going to do is we are going to follow the standard process of box breathing but on the out-breath we are going to add an OM instead of an out-breath. So what we're going to do is when we start this practice we are going to breathe in for four seconds as if we were tracing up, Breathing in up the side of a box. We're then going to hold for four seconds as we trace along what would be the top of the box, The shape of the box. We're then going to release an OM for four seconds, So tracing down the other side of the box. Then we're going to hold for four seconds, Tracing along the bottom of the box and you may wish to draw the box with your finger or just see the box in your mind's eye or just follow that process of in for four, Hold for four, OM on the out-breath, Hold for four, In for four and so on. So let's get started making sure you are in a comfortable posture for this practice. You can be sitting or lying down and when you are ready breathe in two, Three, Four, Hold two, Three, Four, OM, Hold two, Three, Four, In two, Three, Four, Hold two, Three, Four, OM two, Three, Four, Hold two, Three, Four and in two, Three, Four, Hold two, Three, Four, OM out-breath two, Three, Four, Hold two, Three, Four and again just following this process, Continuing to breathe in for four, Hold for four, OM out for four and hold in your own time. And if it feels right for you, You can allow those breaths, Those OMs to just become a little longer, Allowing the holds to last a little longer. Just listen to your body and if your mind wanders off, Don't worry, Just gently bring it back to the start again of this process. It doesn't matter how many times it wanders off, It is simply the refocus and turning the attention back is doing the amazing positive benefits and effects. Keep going, Keep breathing and OMing in for four, Hold for four, OM out for four and hold for four, Just keep going. Then just bringing your attention back to your body, Back to your breath, Just notice how you're now, You can stop this box breathing and just take a couple of deeper breaths as you notice how you feel, Knowing there is no right or wrong and I hope you have enjoyed this short box breathing technique today. So bringing back your attention into the room, Into this time, This space, This reality and having a wonderful rest of your day.