This is an awareness of breath meditation for pregnancy.
I will lead you through some guided breathing exercises and then the music will slowly fade away as you settle into a state of deep relaxation.
You may find these breathing techniques useful during labor.
Begin by settling your body into a comfortable sitting position.
You may prefer to sit in a chair or on a cushion on the floor.
Feel the points of contact between your body and the surface you're sitting on.
Gently allow your spine to lengthen,
Grounding down with the sitting bones while lifting upwards from your lower back.
Imagine the crown of your head lifting upwards towards the ceiling.
Let your shoulders relax and drop away from the ears.
Broaden the collarbones to open the chest.
If sitting up doesn't feel comfortable to you today,
Feel free to find another posture of ease,
Including lying down supported or lying on your side.
You may do this practice with your eyes open or closed.
If you prefer eyes open,
Let your gaze be soft.
Once you have settled into a comfortable position,
Bring your awareness to the physical sensations of breathing.
You may feel the movements at the belly as it rises on the inhalation and falls on the exhalation.
You may feel the sensations at the nostrils as the air passes in and then out.
Or perhaps at the chest,
Feeling the ribcage expand on the inhale and release on the exhale.
There's no need to change the breath in any way now.
Simply notice how you're breathing right now at this very moment,
Fast or slow,
Deep or shallow.
Just pay attention to the sensations of breathing,
Allowing the breath to come and go on its own.
Every time you become aware that the mind has wandered away from the breath,
Which is perfectly normal,
Gently notice the thought with curiosity and then let it go.
Kindly guiding your awareness back to the breath.
Being present to the sensations of breathing.
Bringing your attention to wherever you're feeling the sensations of breathing most vividly.
Now let's make our breathing a little slower,
Focusing on the breath in,
Focusing on the breath out.
Use your out breath to relax the body.
If it helps,
Follow me as I count the breath.
I will gradually lengthen the exhalation,
But please do not strain or hold your breath if the count is too long for you.
Stay with what your body is comfortable with.
You may choose to exhale through the nose or softly out the mouth.
Let's take a deeper breath in and a deeper breath out.
Inhale,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale for three to one.
Inhale for three to one.
Exhale 5 4 3 2 1 inhale 4 3 2 1 exhale 5 4 3 2 1 inhale 4 3 2 1 exhale 5 4 3 2 1 inhale 4 3 2 1 exhale 6 5 4 3 2 1 inhale 4 3 2 1 exhale 6 5 4 3 2 1 inhale 4 3 2 1 exhale 6 5 4 3 2 1 inhale 4 3 2 1 exhale 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 inhale 4 3 2 1 exhale 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 inhale 4 3 2 1 exhale 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 continue this breathing exercise for as long as you'd like to if you prefer you may add visualization to your breathing for example visualize slowly breathing out a candle as you keep your cheeks soft or sending a feather across a room with the out breath with every exhale feel your face and jaw soften,
Shoulders relax allowing your body to release any tension as you let it go music music
