Hello,
I am Karestan Konin,
And this is a five-minute contrast breathing practice.
Make your way into a comfortable seated or reclined position.
Make sure that your spine is straight,
That your body is comfortable,
And close your eyes or gaze softly in front of you.
The first practice we will try is the physiological sigh.
The physiological sigh is a natural breathing pattern that humans and even babies and animals use to reset the body during stress or after crying.
The physiological sigh starts with a big inhale through the nose,
A second inhale to make sure your lungs are filled to the top,
Followed by a relaxed exhale through the mouth.
So let's do this together.
Inhale through your nose,
Filling up your lungs.
Fill up the remaining space with a second tiny inhale,
And make your exhale as long as you can and press down with your belly.
Again,
A big inhale through the nose,
Second short inhale to the top,
And a relaxed exhale through the mouth,
Pressing down with your belly.
Again,
A big inhale through the nose,
A second short inhale to top it off,
And a relaxed exhale through the mouth,
Pressing down with your belly.
Now you continue at your own pace while I'm going to make some commentary for you for the next few minutes and describe what is happening.
As you continue on,
You may start to feel lightheaded.
That is okay.
It just means that things are shifting in your brain.
At some point,
Those shifts will quiet down your overthinking.
Your hands may feel tingly or numb.
That is perfectly safe.
Let those breaths wash through your mind,
Washing away your thoughts.
Keep going.
You're doing great.
One final round.
After your next exhale,
Inhale through your nose all the way to the top,
Then exhale 75% of your air and hold.
This breath hold is safe,
And you are safe.
This breath hold is very calming for your nervous system.
You have plenty of oxygen to support your breath retention.
Notice how clear your mind is becoming,
And let it clear.
Any discomfort you may feel is carbon dioxide building,
Which is harmless,
And it may actually help your muscles relax.
Release the breath hold.
Notice how you feel.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in and let it go.
The next breath we'll do is the bee's breath.
For this breath pattern,
Breathe in through your nose and on the exhale,
Hum like a bee.
Make every exhale as long as you're able.
When you finish exhaling,
Inhale again through your nose and hum.
So it goes something like this.
Keep going.
You're doing great.
Feel the vibration of the hum through your nervous system.
Release the hum and notice how you feel.
We are going to end with an energizing breath,
So when you are ready,
Open your mouth just slightly and take a really full,
Deep inhale.
Exhale and let it go.
Continue on just like that over and over again,
Putting all the effort into breathing in and zero effort into exhaling.
And start to go faster and faster and faster and faster until it becomes more challenging.
Keep your breath full,
Deep,
And rhythmic.
Keep going.
You're almost there.
Just a few more.
After your next exhale,
Breathe in with the biggest inhale possible and breathe out about 75% and hold your breath.
You are safe and this breath hold is safe.
Let clarity spread through your mind.
Relax your whole body and just let go.
If the urge to breathe comes,
Try swallowing.
Release.
Breathe in fully and deeply and let it go.
Take a few minutes to relax and then whenever you're ready,
Open your eyes if they're closed,
Bring yourself back and go about your day.
