10-Minute (10-Count) Breathwork Meditation

This is my favorite breathing exercise! The combined benefits of counting, which refocuses your attention, and breathing deeply, can help you quickly find a state of calm and relaxation. It’s great for relieving stress, fears, worries, insomnia and is helpful during moments of high anxiety as it refocuses the mind and brings you back to the present moment. You don’t need any experience, just a comfortable place to sit or lie down. Enjoy!

Music by Kevin Mcleod

Transcript

Hi,

I'm Jenna,

Owner of The Yogi Nest.

We offer alternative and holistic healing through mindful movement and mindset coaching in Los Angeles and online.

Today we're going to be doing my favorite breathing exercise.

It's called 10-count breathing.

This exercise is deeply grounding and can quickly help you get centered and find a state of calm and relaxation.

The version I'll be teaching you today is the one I found to be the most accessible to my clients over the last five years.

In this version,

You'll count your inhale as one,

Exhale as two,

And so on and so forth until you reach 10.

And then we'll start all over again at one for several rounds.

I'll guide you every step of the way.

I love this breathing exercise.

You can do it anytime and anywhere.

No one will even notice.

I use this exercise when I fly as I'm terrified of flying and it works like a charm.

It's also really helpful if you're trying to fall asleep.

Think of it like counting sheep as you breathe yourself into a deep slumber.

You'll be asleep before you know it.

It's great for relieving stress and can be extremely helpful during moments of high anxiety as it refocuses the mind and brings you back to the present moment.

You don't need any experience for today's practice,

Just a comfortable place to sit or lie down with little to no distractions.

If you've never done breathwork before,

You might want to check out my meditation called Introduction to Breathwork,

Where I discuss what breathwork is,

How it can help you,

And provide a short breathing exercise to get you started.

I also have longer versions of today's exercise and a three-part breathwork meditation series called 4-4 Breathing that works wonders for stress and anxiety.

That being said,

Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down and let's get started.

Determine whether you'll be most comfortable sitting or lying down,

And then make sure your spine is straight,

Allowing for air to easily flow in and out of your lungs.

If it feels comfortable and safe for you,

You may close your eyes.

If not,

You may gaze down at the tip of your nose or focus on a fixed spot on a wall,

Floor,

Or even the palms of your hands.

Reviews

Well dne meditation, though I wish at some point we would have had at least one sequence where we count the breath ourselves to make sure we are fully grounded in the present moment. My mind was wandering a little more than expected!