Hey there,
My name is Joey and this is an introduction to breath holds.
This is going to be a little bit different than our normal practices but breath holding is a great part of any regular breath work practice as it helps to improve your cardiovascular health overall.
It can help to improve your heart rate,
It can help to improve your body's ability to tolerate carbon dioxide,
And is a great way to help to reduce and manage your stress levels.
So throughout this practice we'll start with nice light breathing and then we'll go into some short breath holds and we'll gradually increase those breath holds as we go.
We'll go for about five rounds here but what I want you to do first is just find yourself in a comfortable position.
For me,
I prefer to lie down with my head elevated on a pillow and I like to bend my knees and put my feet on the ground.
That way I have a little bit better access to my diaphragm.
But pick a seat or a position that's comfortable for you and you might take your right hand and place it on your belly and your left hand over your chest and just start to breathe normally.
Just noticing and bearing witness to this breath.
Notice that sense of expansion and contraction,
Taking in and giving back,
Pushing and pulling.
And then from here we'll start to find more of an abdominal thoracic breath.
So the next time that you breathe in,
Focus on breathing deep into your belly and then allow that inhale to expand up into your ribs.
So it's a two-part breath and your exhale will soften and release.
So your inhale,
You start breathing into the belly and then letting that breath expand up into the ribs and then letting it go as you exhale.
And continue to deepen that breath and maybe even speed up the pace just a little bit.
Breathing in deeply and exhaling completely.
You might breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
You might breathe through the nose the entire time.
Whatever's most comfortable for you.
Just focus on breathing deep into the belly and then up into the ribs and then letting it go.
Keep going just like this.
You might start to feel some tingles in the fingers and in the toes and if you do that's okay,
That's normal.
From here we'll take a deep breath in,
Let it go and hold here on your exhale and try to soften through the shoulders,
The face,
The neck,
The jaw.
Just allowing your whole body to relax.
Notice if you start to get antsy or fidgety.
It's your brain telling you that you need to breathe but you'll be okay for just a few more seconds.
And take a deep breath in,
Let it go and resume that same abdominal thoracic breath.
Breathing deeply and letting it go completely.
Keep going just like that.
You might start to feel a little bit tingly a little bit sooner the longer we go through this breath practice.
Just stick with it.
We're almost to the next breath hold.
This one's going to be a little bit longer.
Take a deep breath in,
Let it go completely and hold.
Relax your body,
Relax your mind and see if you can find your heartbeat.
See if you can feel your heartbeat in your left hand and start to focus on your heartbeat and see if maybe you can allow your heartbeat to start to slow down.
Finding more space within each beat.
Keep holding here.
Take a deep breath in,
Let it go and go right back into that abdominal thoracic breath.
Going as fast or as slow as you want to go.
Notice how your body is starting to feel.
Notice how your mind is starting to feel.
But just keep breathing.
Our breath hold is going to get just a little bit longer this time.
Take a deep breath in,
Exhale.
Hold on the exhale and soften.
Soften everything in your body.
Your shoulders,
Your face,
Unclench your jaw,
Release the tongue from the roof of your mouth.
Find your heartbeat and see if you can slow it down.
When we come into these breath holds,
Your brain tells you that you need to breathe way sooner than you think you do.
Just a few more seconds here.
Deep breath in and let it go.
Good job.
Just one more here.
So continue with that abdominal thoracic breath,
That two-part breath,
Nice deep inhales and exhales.
Keep going just like this.
And again,
Our breath hold is going to get a little bit longer this time.
Trust yourself.
Know that you've built up the tolerance for this.
Take a deep breath in,
Let it go,
Hold,
Soften,
Release,
Relax,
And just let go.
Bring your attention to the center of your chest.
Find your heartbeat.
See if you can let your heartbeat slow down even just a millisecond.
Notice if you start to clench your fingers,
Just soften,
Relax.
We're almost there.
This time,
Take a deep breath in and hold it at the top.
Again,
Soften but still holding that breath in and release it.
Great work.
So allow your breath to settle back into its natural rhythm.
Not forcing,
Not changing,
Just allowing it to be.
And notice how your body feels.
Notice how your mind feels.
And there's no right or wrong way to feel here.
Just notice what you notice.
Take a moment to thank yourself for spending this time breathing with yourself today.
And whenever you're ready,
Start to flutter your eyes open.
Bring yourself back into this space.
I thank you for taking this time to share your practice with me and I look forward to practicing with you again soon.
Take care.
