Rebalancing with the Breath

At times our central nervous system can become unbalanced, for many reasons we can find ourselves spending too long in the active (fight / flight) space of the sympathetic nervous system and need to bring ourselves back into the parasympathetic nervous system, for rest and repair. Our breath gives us an opportunity to rebalance in the moment - when we inhale we are active, when we exhale we release. By lengthening the exhale we can support ourselves as we consciously begin to rebalance.
Music by Chris Collins

Transcript

The invitation here is to sit upright in a chair or on a cushion on the floor,

Relaxed and supported,

Feet flat on the floor or cross-legged in that sturdy triangle posture you might use for meditation.

Arms relaxed,

Hands folded in your lap,

Let your eyes softly close and allow your attention to drift for a moment.

Notice any sounds there may be around you,

The temperature of the air on your skin,

The feel of your clothes.

Bring your attention a little closer now.

Notice the feel of the seat or cushion beneath you.

Notice the weight of your body connecting with the ground.

Bring your attention closer still.

Notice your breath.

We're not trying to change it in any way at this stage,

Simply noticing where it is you notice it.

Perhaps you sense the coolness of the air coming into your nostrils,

Slightly warmer maybe as it leaves.

Perhaps you notice the rise and fall of your chest.

Maybe you notice your ribs expanding and contracting or your belly inflating and deflating with each breath.

Wherever you notice it is okay.

Simply notice.

Our intention now is to observe how it is to breathe out for longer than we breathe in.

We'll count three breaths.

I'll talk us through four counts in and eight counts out but please simply work with what is comfortable for you.

A general guide is to count out for twice as long as you counted in but there are no rules here.

In two three four out two three four five six seven eight.

In two three four out two three four five six seven eight.

In two three four two three four six seven eight.

Now simply let your breath return to its natural rhythm and pace whatever that feels like today.

What do you observe?

Maybe there's a deeper sense of relaxation,

A tingling in your fingers and toes,

Softened shoulders,

Maybe nothing,

Maybe something.

It's all okay of course.

The invitation is to try it again when the music ends.

To take three breaths,

Extending the exhale to twice the length of the inhale and to simply sit and observe and see how it is and to carry this sense of peaceful relaxation into the rest of your day.

Reviews

Very nice calming practice. Guidance is well done, supportive and grounding. I was expecting this to have more breathwork in this, per the title. However the breathing instruction is a very small part of the whole session. Thank you.

A perfect morning meditation. Quite lovely. Thank you.