Hello and welcome.
I'm Jess.
Today's breath practice is designed to gently shift your energy and bring a sense of balance to your body and mind.
We'll begin by settling the breath,
Then build a little energy,
And finally allowing everything to come back into balance.
There's nothing you need to do perfectly here.
Just allow the breath and me to guide you.
You can practice sitting or standing depending on what feels best for you today.
If you're seated,
Whether you're in a chair or on the floor,
Sit comfortably with your spine upright.
And if you're standing,
Keep a soft bend in the knees,
Allowing your shoulders to soften down your back,
And your breath beginning to slow naturally.
With your arms at your side,
Begin to soften your gaze,
Squinting with your eyes closed,
Or you can look at the tip of your nose.
Tilt your chin down slightly and breathe.
Bring your attention to your breath.
Taking a deep inhalation in through the nose,
Just noticing the inhale,
And then exhaling out of the nose.
There's no need to change anything yet.
Just taking a relaxing and refreshing deep breath.
In,
And a relaxing deep breath out.
Another deep inhalation in through the nose,
Expanding the lower belly,
And exhaling out.
Noticing where you feel the breath in your body.
Begin to relax your forehead and jaw,
Feeling your shoulders relax down your back.
With every exhalation out,
Let that stress go,
Relaxing and releasing your back and belly.
Continue to let the breath move in gently.
And out through the nose,
Allowing your breath to become a little more steady,
A little more easeful,
And relax.
Exhaling out of your nose.
Your breath is directly connected to your nervous system.
When the breath is shallow,
Rapid,
Or irregular,
The body can interpret that as a signal to stay alert,
To stay activated and on the defense.
But when the breath becomes steady and rhythmic,
It signals safety.
So instead of trying to change how you feel,
We use the breath to shift the body and mind first.
The mind will begin to follow.
Even small changes in the breath can begin to shift your state into a place of relaxation and expansion.
We'll begin to move into a breath technique called Radiance Breath.
We'll begin to build a little energy in the body through a steady and even breath.
Start by placing your hands at heart center in Anjula Mudra,
Anjula Mudra or prayer pose.
Press your palms together with your thumbs pressed into your sternum.
That is perfect.
Now widen your fingers,
Still pressing your thumbs into your sternum,
Making almost like a star.
Notice there's space between the fingers.
With your palms pressed together at your heart center and the fingers spread,
This is Radiance Mudra.
Mudras are finger positions that help guide the body and mind.
And with Radiance Mudra,
We are creating more expansiveness in the chest.
You'll feel in this pose more space,
Openness and less collapse.
These are all things designed to help you feel more relaxed,
Calm and comfortable.
Continue in this mudra and breathe and relax.
Taking a deep breath in through your nose when you're ready and exhaling out of your nose.
Taking another deep inhalation in,
Filling your lower belly,
Fill up with air and expand first.
This expansion moves to your middle chest and upper chest.
Exhaling out of your nose when you're ready.
Take another deep breath in,
Expanding that lower belly,
Middle chest.
And upper chest.
This is called diaphragmatic breath.
Now begin to exhale out.
And continue on your own and at your own pace for a few breaths.
Staying here with your fingers wide and pressed together in Radiance Mudra.
There's no need to force the mudra or your breath.
Just be.
Let's start first by exhaling any air you have in your lungs.
Exhale out.
Inhaling through the nose,
Fill up with air.
And exhale out through the nose.
Working to keep the inhale and exhale about the same length.
Your breath is smooth and steady.
Just allowing the breath to move.
And imagine a sense of space across your chest.
Begin to gently release that breath,
Returning to a natural rhythm and breath pattern.
Keeping your eyes closed and your breath slow,
Lower your hands to your knees.
Palms can face up or down.
Listen to my voice as I guide you through the next breath exercise.
This next breath is often used to bring the body and mind back into balance.
I find it incredibly helpful for quickly balancing out before or after a stressful meeting or encounter.
In this breath,
We will start by gently shifting the breath from one side of the nostril to the other.
Let's start by moving your left hand to your left knee,
Palms facing up.
For the remainder of this breath exercise,
Your left hand will stay here,
Palm facing up,
Resting on your left knee or thigh.
The breath exercise we are going to do today is called alternate nostril breathing or Nadi Shodhana.
Listen to my instructions and don't worry if it's not perfect.
Just the act of breathing is enough.
We'll start by keeping our left hand on that left knee and you'll begin to lift your right hand.
Placing your fingers together,
The opposite of what we did in Radiance Mudra,
Your thumb and fingers will be pressed together with your right hand straight up and down.
Begin to gently move your right hand next to your right nostril and hold it there.
In alternate nostril breathing,
We are breathing in and out of a single nostril for a series of breath.
We will start first on the left for a full inhalation and exhalation and then we'll transition to the right for an inhale and exhale.
Our right hand is at our right nostril and you'll start first by pressing your right index finger into your right nostril.
Your right nostril will be closed and you'll take a deep breath in through your left nostril while your fills with air.
Do that now and then exhale out of your left nostril.
Release your right finger from your right nostril and switch.
You're going to move your right hand to your left nostril and your right ring finger will move to the left side of your nostril and close that left nostril.
Taking a deep breath in this time,
Your right nostril will expand as will your belly.
You'll breathe in and then exhale out,
Switching your hand to close the right nostril on the other side.
Breathing in and exhaling out of your left nostril and we'll switch.
Left nostril closes with your right ring finger,
Breathing in and exhaling out on your right side and switch.
Breathing in and exhaling out and switch to the right side.
Right nostril closes,
Breathing in through your nose,
Exhaling out,
Switching to your left.
Left nostril closes.
A couple more rounds.
Breathing in on that right side,
Exhaling out,
Switching to close the right nostril.
Taking a deep breath in through your left nostril this time and exhaling out.
We'll switch to close the left side and take a deep breath in and exhale out and switch.
Inhaling in,
Exhaling out and switch.
One more.
Inhaling in through your right nostril,
Exhaling out.
Lower your right hand away from your face,
Moving your right hand,
Resting on your knees or thighs.
Relax and breathe in several rounds of slow,
Steady,
Breath.
You did great.
Now gently release the breath and let it return to its natural rhythm.
And we'll stay here for just a few moments,
Just noticing.
Noticing how you feel,
Maybe feeling a little more clear,
A little more balanced,
Or simply different.
Begin by bringing awareness back to your body and your breath.
Take a slightly deeper inhalation in through your nose and a slow exhale out.
If it feels natural,
You might bring your hands back to your heart center in Anjali Mudra or prayer pose,
Or you can simply rest them by your side.
Thank you for making this time and space for yourself,
Knowing you can return here at any time to gently shift your energy with ease.
My name is Jess.
I'll see you here again soon.
