And we'll begin just by finding a comfortable position.
So creating a long spine.
Softening the shoulders.
And just giving yourself permission.
To do nothing right now.
No pushing,
No effort.
You've already asked your body to do a lot.
So all that it needs to do right now.
Is just breathe.
Now bring your awareness to your natural breath.
Notice the inhale as it comes in.
And the exhale as it moves out.
Just let the breath be exactly as it is for a few moments.
And now begin to deepen your breath.
Inhaling through the nose,
Slow and steady.
And exhaling through the mouth.
A nice long breath out.
Again,
Filling the belly and the rib cage.
And exhaling,
Releasing the shoulders,
The jaw,
The face.
And with each exhale,
Your body receives the message.
It's safe to rest.
It's okay to be quiet.
So we'll begin to slow the breath down just a little bit more.
We'll exhale all the air out of our lungs.
Then we'll inhale for a count of 4,
3,
2,
1.
Then exhale for a count of 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
And continue with this,
Inhaling for four,
Taking that long exhale out.
This breath really invites your nervous system to shift out of effort and into a place of repair.
Just inhaling for four,
Exhaling for six.
You can adjust it a little bit if you need.
But just simply focus on making the exhale slow and smooth and complete.
Knowing that as your breath slows,
Your heart rate can begin to settle.
Stress hormones decrease.
And blood flow moves to support muscle repair and recovery.
You don't need to visualize anything.
You don't need to do or make anything happen.
Just breathe and allow.
Letting your body integrate from the work you just did.
Inhaling nourishment.
And exhaling,
Release and soften.
Doing a few more rounds of this breath.
Every inhale brings in nourishment and oxygen.
And every exhale helps to release any leftover tension or even fatigue.
Now take one more round of this breath.
Count to four in through the nose and a long,
Complete exhale through the mouth.
Now allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Notice how your body feels.
Compared to a few minutes ago.
This is recovery,
And this is repair.
It's an important part of the practice.
And then when you're ready,
Begin to gently reawaken the body.
And return to the here and now.
Thank you so much for joining me for this practice.
