Breathing For Calm And Rest

Please listen to this track before bedtime or when you feel the need for a break in your day. We will calm the body and mind using simple breathing techniques and visualization. Cozy up in your bed and get ready to rest and ease yourself into sleep. Music by Andrew Land: Submerse.

Transcript

It's nice to have you here. This meditation or talk is going to be a practice for calming the nervous system from a state of dysregulation. So maybe you feel a little anxious, Maybe you feel your heart racing, Hands trembling, Blood pumping. And so in this space together we will practice bringing ourselves down back to earth, Feeling grounded and clearing out some of that more nervous energy so that we can drop into deeper sleep. Now as I sat down to do this talk I actually experienced a pretty stressful, Hmm, Let's just say intrusion. And so I'm feeling a little dysregulated as well and so this is a nice practice for us both to get attuned to one another as we both bring ourselves back to earth to where it's safe. So finding yourself in either a comfortable seat or if you're already ready for bed, Lying down in a comfortable position. Maybe you're on your back, Maybe it feels good to curl your knees into your chest and lay on your side. Maybe you're like me and you like to lie down on your belly and bend one knee up in line with your hip. But whatever shape you've taken, Maybe wiggle around to really find your place on your mattress, In a chair, And let's all begin by taking a big breath. So inhale all the way up, Find a pause, And then purse your lips and find a deeper exhale. So let it go, Pushing the air out through pursed lips and feel the little squeeze of your belly. And then let yourself breathe in naturally and sigh out naturally, Resuming your natural breath. And from here we'll start to work with our breath intentionally to start to initiate calm, Rest, And digest. So let's take our awareness to our bodies. You might do a scan from the top of your head, Through the face, The muscles contracted, Maybe in the jaw, Cheeks, Forehead, And then down into the shoulders, Arms, Hands, And then awareness of your belly, Your hips, Your legs, Knees, Ankles, Feet, Toes. And then from here we'll start just a gentle breath technique, A little bit different from box breathing. We'll inhale for two and exhale for three. So just come along with me. If it helps you can close your eyes. If you like to visualize calm spaces in your head, In your mind, Maybe you go somewhere you really enjoy. Maybe there's a forest scene, A beach scene, Somewhere you can feel rested and safe. And then we'll start our breath technique. So let's take a big breath in together. Big or sigh out the mouth. Inhale, Two, One, Pause. Exhale, Three, Two, One, Pause. Inhale, One, Two. Exhale, Three, Two, One. Again, Inhale, One, Two. Exhale, Three, Two, One. Let's increase it. Inhale, Three, Two, One. Exhale, Four, Three, Two, One. Inhale, Three, Two, One. Exhale, Four, Three, Two, One. Inhale, Three, Two, One. Exhale, Four, Three, Two, One. Staying at this pace or elongated, Inhale, Four, Three, Two, One. Exhale, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Inhale, Four, Three, Two, One. Exhale, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Let's do two more rounds. Inhale, Four, Three, Two, One. Exhale, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Inhale, One more time, Four, Three, Two, One. Exhale, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Good. Resume your normal breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Letting your breath return to its natural cadence. And then let's do a body scan from the soles of the feet. You might give your toes a gentle wiggle, Noting the position of your ankles, Shins, Knees, Thighs, Hips, The curve of your spine, The softness of your belly, The subtle movement of your ribcage, Heaviness of arms, Elbows, Wrists, Hands, And then the beautiful weight of your skull, The softness of the eyes resting. And if your lips are sealed, Maybe there's a little bit of space between the top teeth and the bottom teeth. Taking your awareness to your heartbeat. And if you start to pendulate between thoughts and the present moment through the awareness of your body, Let that happen. So notice breath. And then once again, The mind will wander in and tell a story. The practice is not to push it away or judge yourself for the thought itself. Just leaning into the practice of acknowledging it, Knowing that it will almost certainly be back tomorrow, And you can handle it then. And if you like to visualize, Maybe you etch that thought into the sand along the shore of a beach. And if the thought is too long, Maybe you give it a theme. So fear, Nervousness, Worry. And then as every breath comes in through your nose, Imagine the waves come into the surface, Less visible. So every inhale, The mark of presence, Of spaciousness, Of grounding to the earth. And then the exhale, The washing away and the release. So we are showing the mind that it's just a thought. So continuing your breath. Every inhale, The waves wash ashore. And every exhale washes it away. Continuing with this breath. And if you still notice the pitter patter of your heart, Or maybe the thought is etched so deeply into the sand that it is pretty persistent with staying there, You can add the mantra, I am breathing in on the inhale, And I am breathing out on the exhale. We add more presence. I am breathing in. I am breathing out. I am here. You are safe. I am breathing in. I am here. I am breathing out. Letting yourself drift away into sleep. And thank you for joining me here today. Until we meet again.