Welcome to today's breathing exercise 4-7-8 breathing.
4-7-8 breathing is a powerful technique to bring your body and mind into a state of deep relaxation.
It helps you to reduce stress,
To calm your mind and to find inner balance.
This practice is perfect for integrating moments of calm into your everyday life or facilitating the transition to a restful sleep.
Start by finding a relaxed body position,
Preferably lying on your back.
Take your time to make yourself really comfortable.
Start with a gentle body scan to release any tension in your body.
Relax your feet first and then slowly work your way up through your legs,
Your hips and your lower back,
To your middle back and upper back.
Let your shoulders become heavy and relax your arms,
Your hands and fingers.
Now focus attention on your abdomen,
Chest,
Neck,
Jaw and forehead.
Feel how your whole body relaxes further with each exhalation and how it sinks deeper into calmness.
We now come to the 4-7-8 breathing technique.
This technique is easy to learn but extremely effective and it can be used at any time if you want to reduce stress and find inner peace.
Firstly,
Please listen carefully while I explain the exercise.
I will then accompany you and count along while you are breathing.
A breathing cycle looks like this.
You will close your mouth and breathe in through your nose while counting to four in your mind or listen to me count.
Then hold your breath for a count of seven.
Finally exhale completely through your mouth with a whooshing sound counting to eight.
This ends one breath cycle and you will start inhaling again from the beginning.
I will count for you as we take 20 breaths together.
You can be guided by my rhythm or if you prefer you can breathe at your own pace.
Take your time with each breath and focus on how your body relaxes more deeply with each round.
Feel how a sense of calm and peace spreads through you.
I will guide and count with you throughout the exercise.
It is time to begin.
Start with an inhalation through your nose then take a long exhalation through your mouth.
Now breathe in for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold your breath two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out through your mouth two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Start again through your nose in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out through your mouth two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out through your mouth two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Again in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
And in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
And in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
And out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
And in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
And in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
And in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
And out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Last round in two,
Three,
Four.
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
And seven.
And out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven and eight.
Now completely let go of your breath.
Let it flow in and out through your nose naturally and just be.
Feel how your body feels now.
Is there lightness,
Calm or a deeper connection to yourself?
Whatever you experience now,
Let that feeling envelope you.
And with each exhalation that happens just by itself,
Feel yourself sinking deeper into your current state,
Into this feeling.
Embrace whatever you feel right now.
Feel how your breath flows in and out.
And then slowly bring your attention back to your surroundings.
Feel the ground beneath you and the air that surrounds you.
Listen to sounds around you.
And then slowly open your eyes and return to the present moment,
Here and now,
To your surroundings.
Thank you for sharing this breathing exercise with me.
May the feeling you have found continue to accompany you and help you during your day to maintain inner peace.
