Hello and welcome to this coherent breathing practice where we're going to be diving in to allow you to find the space within your body,
Within your nervous system to come into balance.
So the coherent breath work is all around finding that balance through the inhale,
Through the exhale and it serves your nervous system by taking you out of your sympathetic nervous system state,
That fight-or-flight mode and dropping you in towards that relaxation response into that parasympathetic state.
Without dropping you into a space of sleepiness or tiredness and fatigue allows you to stay in this regulated alert space.
So we'll be dropping into this practice here today with using an equal part inhale and exhale.
Where you can the inhale is through the nose and the exhale is also through the nose.
If at any point you're practicing this and you notice that your nose is too blocked for you to breathe,
You are welcome to breathe in and out through the mouth but I would encourage you to purse your lips like you're trying to whistle as you take the breaths in and out and what this does it just slows down the pace of your breathing.
It means that you don't rush the air into your body and this supports again with the nervous system regulation.
So we'll be using a four count breath.
As you take your breaths in and out here I really want you to allow yourself to focus on the sensation of the breath.
Focus on the pace and try to allow the breath to last as long as you can through that four count breath using the entire count to support this breathing.
And so we will begin now by allowing yourself to begin to notice how you're breathing in this moment.
To notice and observe your natural breath,
Your natural breathing rate without needing to change anything at all,
Without needing to adapt or change or try to make it into anything that it doesn't need to be.
Notice the breath with gentle observation without bringing any judgments or preconceived ideas of what your breath needs to be.
Allowing this to just be a space of you noticing how it feels for your body to breathe itself in this moment.
Noticing the pace,
The quality of the breath.
Is it short and shallow?
Is it deep and long?
Are there areas in the body that feel a little bit tense and restricted as you breathe in and release the breath?
Or does it feel free and open,
Receptive as you breathe?
Take a couple of moments more to observe the breath and then from here we'll drop into our four inhale,
Four exhale breath,
That coherent breathing rhythm.
So finishing off the exhale where you are and we'll begin.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
And you're just going to continue with this rhythm allowing the music to wash over and through you as you let that rhythm take over within your body.
And if you're finding today that the four count breath is a little bit too much,
That there is a resistance at the end,
Then lower the count but keep the count equal on both sides.
If you're finding you could breathe more and you have more capacity today then extend it out.
Maybe you take longer with the breath or maybe you use a five,
Six,
Maybe even a seven or eight count breath.
Wherever you are just notice if you can keep the breath steady and even as it draws in and out without rushing the breath in on the inhale or trying to rush the breath out to get rid of it on the exhale.
Allow yourself to drop into your own rhythm now drawing the breath deeper into the body and I will guide you out when it's time to let go of the practice.
Make this your final round of breath here.
Allow yourself to complete that final exhale and once you have,
Begin to allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Back into a space where the body gets to breathe itself,
Where there's no doing,
No forcing,
No focus around the breath but you just allow it to easily breathe itself in and out and take as long as you need here for that integration time to witness how you feel and you're welcome to journal anything that may have come up for you in this session and I look forward to dropping back into this space with you again soon.
