Go ahead and find yourself in a comfortable seat.
Straighten your spine.
Relax your shoulders and your face.
And just begin by steadying your breath.
So bring your inhales and exhales to an equal length.
Let the body be by itself.
Try to feel all of the qualities of the breath right now.
Very gradually slowing it down as inhales and exhales equalize.
Notice what that feels like.
Begin to count on each inhale to 6.
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
And exhale to 6.
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Keep counting to yourself.
Six in and six out.
This next breathing technique is called the ocean breath or Ushayi breathing.
This technique constricts the air's passageway creating just a slight sound on both the inhale and the exhale from the back of the throat.
It can be used to relax and steady the mind and create internal focus.
Or it can be used to stimulate and energize the system depending on the depth and the speed of the breath as well as how much tension is created at the back of the throat.
For now just continue to breathe normally.
Six in and six out.
In a moment we're going to work with a very soft ocean breath by closing the back of the throat just slightly,
Engaging the vocal cords just enough to produce a very quiet sound with each breath.
The sound is something like that of a sigh.
You may only be able to hear it internally or it may be slightly audible,
Either one is okay.
So go ahead now and try to gently engage,
Very softly close the back of the throat,
Just enough to achieve a steady air sound on each breath.
Continue your six count breaths but pay attention to the sensation of the air,
Now a little more acute,
Passing through the throat and the nose pathways.
Pay particular attention to the sound and its qualities.
It may be more subtle on the inhale but the sound is always present.
Listen to that humming of the wave,
That vibration flowing in and out.
Try to keep the belly soft so the air is flowing down where it will comfortably.
And if it's relaxing to you,
You can imagine the sound as ocean waves coming in and going back out to sea.
Imagine yourself sitting on the shore and visualizing this and sensing it in the back of the throat.
Or if you prefer,
You can see it as a calming white noise,
Drowning out all the persistent thoughts and concerns for the time being.
Feel the soft vibration occurring in the lungs,
The throat,
The nose and all of the connected muscles and organs.
Continue breathing in and out for six,
Noticing if perhaps the breath has gotten even slower as you've brought your attention to it.
And continue sensing deeper and deeper,
Sensing more and more subtle layers of that vibration in the back of the throat.
Okay.
The next time that you exhale,
Let your breath return to normal.
Slowly soften the throat again.
No more closing.
No more vibration.
No more counting.
Just letting the breath fall right back into its natural rhythm.
Keeping the eyes closed and keeping your mindfulness inside.
Take a moment and try to notice what the body feels like after a few moments of this ocean breath,
Ushayi breathing.
Are there any shifts?
Is there an additional sense of relaxation or focus?
Do you feel more present?
Feel your seat in the chair again or on the floor.
And when you're ready,
Allow your eyes to open up softly.
