Hi there and welcome.
My name is Joey and this is a practice known as rhythmic breathing.
And rhythmic breathing is a really great way to calm yourself down in a stressful situation.
It's also a great way to just develop a little bit more awareness of your breath and your body and your mind.
So we'll find a comfortable seat or maybe you're lying down.
Maybe you've found your seat on a cushion or in a chair with your feet on the floor.
And if you're lying down,
Perhaps supporting your head with a blanket or a pillow.
See if you can make yourself just five percent more comfortable.
And as you arrive here,
As you settle,
We'll begin by taking a deep breath in and letting it go.
One more time,
Inhaling completely,
Opening the mouth and sighing it out.
And one final time,
Breathing in deeply,
Holding the breath in and then letting it go.
And if possible,
Seal your lips and allow the breath to move in and out of the nose from here on out.
And start to become aware of how your breath is moving through your body right now.
Starting to notice your inhales and your exhales,
Not trying to change or control anything about them.
Instead,
Just allow them to be exactly as they are right now.
Notice where you feel that sense of expansion as you breathe in.
Notice where you feel that sense of release or letting go as you breathe out.
Notice how your body changes shape as you breathe in and out.
Notice how your body feels as you breathe in and out.
And then start to bring your awareness to just your in-breath,
Just your in-breath.
Each time you breathe in,
Filling up completely this time,
Noticing how long it takes.
So that might be a three count,
That might be a four count,
It could be longer,
It could be shorter.
Just notice how many counts it takes for you to fill up with your breath.
And then draw your awareness to your exhale,
Just your exhale.
And see if you can breathe out for one or two counts longer than your inhale.
So if you breathe in for a count of three,
You might try to breathe out for a count of four or five.
If you breathe in for four counts,
You might try to breathe out for a count of five or six.
Not trying to force the breath in any way.
Instead,
Allow your whole body to soften into these exhales.
And then you might notice that your breath is not just the in-breath and the out-breath.
Instead,
You've actually got four parts to your breath with a small pause or a small space between each in-breath and out-breath,
And between the out-breath and the next in-breath.
And so for a moment,
Take your awareness to that space at the top of your inhale,
That slight pause where the breath transitions from a pull to a push,
From taking in to giving back.
And taking your awareness to the space at the bottom of your exhale,
That small space where your out-breath transitions into your in-breath,
Where the push becomes the pull,
The give becomes the take.
And see if you can allow yourself to rest in this space for just a moment longer.
And then putting all of that together into one practice,
You'll begin first by breathing out,
And then breathing in on your count to the top of your inhale,
Finding that space,
Breathing out just a little bit longer,
And resting in that space at the bottom.
And continuing that cycle of breathing in,
Pausing,
Breathing out,
And resting.
Breathing in,
Pausing,
Breathing out,
And resting,
As you find your body's natural rhythm,
As you tune in to the rhythm of your breath.
You might find that you might get a little bit light-headed at certain points.
You might find that you get small tingles in the fingers and the toes.
And if you do,
That's okay.
That's normal.
It's all part of this breath experience.
If at any point you feel out of control in this breath practice,
Feel free to release the practice and allow your breath to resume its natural inhale and exhale.
See if you can release a little bit more through each exhale.
If you can soften just a bit more,
And take a couple more rounds here.
Starting to release the practice,
Allowing your breath to settle,
And just taking a mental note of how you're feeling now.
Notice how your body feels,
How your mind feels.
Notice how the breath is moving through your body now.
It might be a little bit softer than before.
And if you'd like,
You're welcome to remain here for a few more moments,
Just enjoying your breath,
Enjoying the space.
Starting to wiggle your fingers and your toes,
Bringing movement back into your body.
In your own time,
Fluttering the eyes open,
Coming back into the space.
Notice the room around you.
Taking a moment in gratitude for spending this time with yourself today.
And I thank you for spending your time with me.
And I look forward to practicing with you again soon.
Take care.
