Grounding Belly Breathing To Ease Panic And Unwind For Sleep

A grounding practice for moments of intense anxiety or panic, and equally useful for unwinding at the end of a long day. Lying on your front on a firm floor, you breathe down into your belly against the gentle resistance of the ground, then release each breath with an audible sigh. The pressure gives your nervous system a clear signal of contact and safety, and the long exhales slow your heart rate. Ten to fifteen rounds with pauses in between.

If lying on your front is uncomfortable, lie on your back and rest a light weight such as a small cushion or a smooth stone on your lower belly.

Please Note: The content is educational and not a substitute for professional mental health care.

Transcript

This is a great practice for SOS moments, If you're experiencing intense anxiety, Fear, Or something like a panic attack. It's also very effective for simply unwinding at the end of a long day. So we're gonna begin by lying on our front and breathing into the floor. So pause this if you need to find a firm, Comfortable surface to lie on. So please lie face down on your front with your arms over your head in a relaxed position. First, Let's orient to the ground. Breathe into and feel the firm support beneath you. Notice your belly in contact with the floor. And allow your body weight to kind of like release downwards. Okay, So now we're going to begin the breathing practice itself. So take a full inhale through the nose all the way to the top and expand your breath into your belly. So we're only breathing into the lower part of the diaphragm. And as you do this, You should feel your belly pressing into the floor as it fills. And let the breath expand below your ribcage. And releasing the breath with a natural sigh. Okay, Let's do a couple together. So inhaling through the nose, Belly expands, Hold, Two, Three, And let go. And inhale through the nose, Belly pressing against the ground, Hold, Two, Three, And let go with a sigh. And keep breathing like this at your own pace. Really noticing the resistance of the floor against your expanding belly. Notice your body surrendering in this place. A little more with each exhale into the ground. And keep breathing with every inhale filling up from the bottom and every exhale releasing completely. And if some thoughts arise, Which they might, Just bring your attention and your awareness down to the belly movement and feeling the floor beneath you. And continue this for just a few more rounds. Noticing any spontaneous sighs, Any sense of heaviness in your limbs, Maybe your heart rate slowing down a bit. All of these are great signs of increasing safety and regulation. Okay, And in your own time, Take a final breath in. Letting go and feeling the overall state of calm that you might be experiencing. And in your own time roll slowly over to one side. And take as long as you need here. Before returning to a seat. And you can rest here for as long as you wish. Okay, The practice is now complete.