Hi,
Joel Endersley here.
Today I'd like to share with you a powerful technique that allows you to send a message to your body to come on command.
And that's what I like to call the Magic Breath.
You can use this technique at any given moment to diffuse moments filled with stress and anxiety.
The act of bringing conscious awareness to your breath hands you power.
Controlling your breath can help you control both your state of mind and being.
But the act of breathing isn't magic itself.
It's when you purposely control and harness the breath in such a way that results in change.
And this is based on a few factors.
Firstly,
Becoming aware of the breath.
Noticing how you're currently breathing.
Noticing are they shallow or deep breaths.
With awareness comes control.
Secondly,
Invite a deep breath to fill up your lungs fully.
Most importantly that you breathe all the way down into your diaphragm,
Rather than shallow breaths that often get caught up in the upper chest area.
Lastly,
Then start to count your breath.
The in-breath lasting up to 4 seconds.
And then the out-breath up to 8 seconds.
And then as you exhale,
Visualise your breath travelling throughout your body like a massive force of calming energy.
Before we begin this practice,
Let's measure our current state.
On a scale of 1 to 10,
Just pay attention to how you feel.
One would be extremely calm,
While 10 would be in a state of anxiety or stress.
Whatever number is right for you,
Just notice it.
And now,
Let's allow the breath to work its magic.
So find yourself in a comfortable position.
Sitting up straight,
With your hands resting in your lap.
Allowing your eyes to close and your body to relax.
And let's notice the breath.
Become aware to the fact that you're breathing.
Notice the oxygen enter the nostrils.
Notice the coolness of the air.
Notice the point at which the lungs fill up and begin to exhale.
How the air turns warm on the out-breath.
Just notice if you're breathing through your nose or your mouth without judgement.
Not trying to control the breath at this point in time,
Just simply noticing.
And if you notice your thoughts drifting off,
You can return your attention to the breath.
Now when you're ready,
I'm going to count you in for a deep breath.
And we're going to do this 5 times.
So breathing in all the way down to the stomach,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Letting go,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Allowing calm to travel throughout your body.
Breathing in again,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Breathing out,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Allowing the breath to soften every muscle in your body.
Breathing in again,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Breathing out,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Allowing yourself to develop a calming rhythm of breath.
Breathing in,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Breathing out,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Relaxing.
And once more.
Breathing in,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Breathing out,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Well done.
Continue breathing normally now.
Just watching.
Curiously observing the breath.
And just notice how you're feeling.
Feeling the calming qualities of the breath travelling throughout the body.
Feeling relaxed.
Feeling peaceful.
Feeling at ease.
And when you're ready,
Return to the scale of 1 to 10.
Relaxing yourself again,
How relaxed do you feel?
Making a note of your new number.
As we bring this exercise to a close,
You can gently open your eyes.
Learning to observe and control the breath is a tool available to you at any given moment,
Regardless of how stressful the situation.
May the magic breath bring forth calm to the rest of your day.
