Begin this session by getting comfortable.
You can lay down or sit on the floor.
There are no rules here except to get comfortable.
You can close your eyes or stare off into space.
Whatever feels right for you in this moment.
Start by taking a full deep breath in through the nose.
Exhale with the whoosh sound.
Repeat one more time fully in through the nose.
Exhale with the whoosh sound.
On each inhale going forward I want you to fill up your belly with as much oxygen as possible.
On each exhale I want you to completely empty your belly of air.
One belly breath after another over and over.
If you catch your mind wandering gently bring it back to the flow of breath in and out.
When not managed anxiety and stress wreak havoc on your nervous system.
An activated fight,
Flight or freeze response in the amygdala leads to a weakened immune system,
Less patience and poor sleep among other things.
Through focused,
Intentional belly breathing you can move from your sympathetic nervous system or your fight,
Flight or freeze to your parasympathetic nervous system where rest and digest and healing happen.
Just keep breathing deep full breaths into the belly filling up the diaphragm on every inhale and completely emptying the diaphragm of air on the exhales over and over again.
As fast paced as modern living is,
It's an act of rebellion to press pause and focus on your breath for even just a few moments.
If you catch your mind wandering away from the deep belly breathing just gently bring it back to the flow of air in and out of your belly.
A wandering mind doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong,
It just means you're human.
Offer yourself grace and bring your attention back to your breath filling up the diaphragm on every inhale and completely emptying the diaphragm on every exhale.
Practicing this belly breath can have a tremendous impact on your life when you're feeling anxious or stressed.
It's a simple practice to just bring you back to within calming your nervous system,
Stimulating your vagus nerve,
The largest nerve system in your body which is responsible for helping you manage your stress.
And all you have to do is just follow the air in and down into the belly filling up the belly on the inhales and then follow the air back out on the exhales.
A simple practice,
Taking care of yourself,
Nurturing yourself with full deep breaths,
Clearing out any stale stuck air out of your diaphragm from the shallow breaths that you typically take when you're stressed and anxious.
It's okay to take a break.
You weren't created to go,
Go,
Go all the time.
It's okay to take some time for yourself.
These few moments can help you reset and approach whatever is going on in your life with a newfound presence and a sense of calm.
This belly breathing practice is an act of self love.
As we're winding down,
May you carry patience and presence with you wherever you go.
May you live your life with ease and grace forever and ever.
