This time to review the basic tenets of diaphragmatic breathing.
Before we begin,
Decide if you would like to sit or lay down.
If you choose to sit,
I like you to put your feet firmly on the ground and to sit tall.
You can even imagine your vertebrae stacked one on top of the other,
All the way up your spine with your head comfortably resting on top of your shoulders.
If you decide to lay down,
I ask that you get in a comfortable position and that your head is well supported.
You may close your eyes for this meditation,
But if you choose to keep them open,
Allow them to have a soft,
Unfocused gaze on a spot on the floor a few feet in front of you or on the wall or ceiling.
Let's begin.
As you may know,
We tend to breathe shallow and with our chest when we are stressed.
And this has been a stressful time for us all.
So let's turn our attention to breathe through our diaphragm.
I would like you to put one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach.
And let's walk through our instructions before we begin.
You will breathe in through your nose for about two seconds.
You'll experience that air moving through your nostrils and into your abdomen,
Making your stomach slowly expand.
During this type of breathing,
Make sure that your stomach is moving outward while your chest remains relatively still.
On the exhale,
I would like you to purse your lips.
Imagine that you're drinking through a straw and press gently on your stomach and exhale slowly for about four seconds.
We will repeat these steps several times to get into a calm,
Regulated and relaxed state.
So let's begin.
Let's breathe in through our nose for a count of two,
Belly goes out and a slow,
Gentle exhale through our mouth.
Three,
Four.
And again,
Breathing in through the nose,
Belly goes out and a slow,
Gentle exhale through the mouth for two,
Three,
Four.
And again,
Breathing in through the nose,
Belly extends out and a slow,
Gentle exhale through the mouth.
Three,
Four.
And again,
Breathing in through the nose for two and a slow,
Gentle exhale,
Three,
Four.
And I'd like you to continue on your own just for a few breaths.
And you can decide to also say on the in-breath,
Breathing in peace and on that out-breath,
You can say,
Breathing out anxiety.
Play around with it.
Find your own phrase that you like.
So let's continue.
On the in-breath,
Belly extends out and a slow,
Gentle exhale for two,
Three,
Four.
Breathing in through the nose,
Belly extends and a slow,
Gentle exhale through the mouth,
Three,
Four.
Breathing in,
Two,
And exhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breathing in,
Two,
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
I'd like you to come back to present.
Open your eyes if they've been closed.
Look around the room.
And I appreciate you taking this time out of your day to practice our diaphragmatic breathing.
Be well.
