Welcome.
This calming pranayama practice is designed to soothe the mind,
Settle the body,
And bring balance to the nervous system.
Deep belly breathing is a simple technique.
You can do it anywhere at any time to calm the mind.
Let's begin in a comfortable seated position.
Begin to make some slow,
Easy circles with your head.
If it doesn't feel good to release your head all the way back,
Just roll it from side to side.
And change directions if you have been rotating it around in a circle.
Let your shoulders be heavy and face soft and relaxed.
Beautiful.
And come back to centre.
On your inhale,
Reach both arms overhead.
Clasp your hands for a big stretch.
And as you exhale,
Lower your arms to around chest height,
Pushing the palms away,
Letting your spine round and your hips tilt back.
And inhale the arms back up,
Finding length in your spine for a little back bend.
Two more times like this.
Exhale to round forward,
Creating some space in the upper back and shoulders.
And inhale to lengthen,
Gently squeezing the shoulder blades together and rocking the pelvis forward.
Exhale,
Release,
And soften down.
Inhale into a lovely stretch.
And release your arms back down.
And find a little twist to the right,
Gazing over your right shoulder.
And a little twist to the left,
Keeping the spine nice and long.
And come back to centre.
Place your hands on your knees.
And close your eyes.
This practice is an opportunity to pause,
Release tension,
And reconnect with the present moment through the simple yet powerful act of conscious breathing.
Let your belly soften completely.
And bring your awareness to your natural breath.
Feel the gentle inflating of the belly on the in-breath.
And let the exhale be a surrender to the heaviness of your body and to the pull of gravity.
Just follow the waves of breath moving through your body.
At this moment,
There's nowhere you need to go.
Nothing you need to do.
Give yourself permission to just be.
If you notice any muscular tension,
See if you can find a little more ease.
And if you notice any tension,
Letting go.
Becoming 1% more relaxed with each exhale.
Let the surface beneath you support you.
And observe how layers of tension begin to unravel.
And as you let go,
See if you can soften behind your eyes,
Behind your tongue,
Your jaw,
Back of your neck.
Even the skin on your chest softens.
And as you let go,
See if you can find a little more ease.
Notice the beating of your heart slowing.
Feel tension release from your body.
Bringing your awareness to the in-breath.
Feeling the lower belly.
And the belly softening on the out-breath.
Is the breath steady?
You may wish to change the cross of your legs.
And then place one hand onto your stomach and one onto your chest.
Take a moment now to count your breath.
Inhale to the count of 4.
And exhale to the count of 6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4.
Exhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Deep inhale into the belly.
All the way down to the bottom of your belly and then filling your chest.
And a long,
Slow exhale to soften.
Deep inhale.
Belly rises.
Chest rises.
Feel your collar bones lift.
Exhale.
Belly falls.
Chest falls.
Collar bones fall.
Just follow your breath.
Deep breath in the belly to the count of 4.
And exhale to the count of 6.
Continue following your breath on your own for a few rounds.
And return to your natural breathing when you are ready.
Rest your hands on either side of your body or on your knees with your palms facing up.
Inhale deeply through your nose.
And exhale completely through an open mouth.
Perhaps finding a slight pause or hold at the bottom of the exhale.
Inhale through the nose.
And exhale through your mouth.
Letting it all go.
Sighing the breath out with a soft ah.
And another big inhale.
Filling your belly and chest with life-giving prana.
And then exhale completely.
Lingering for a moment at the bottom of the out-breath.
Sensing in this moment the ease that comes when the body is empty of breath.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Sighing the breath out with a soft ah.
And another big inhale.
Pause.
And coming back to your natural breath when you are ready.
Notice if you can find any spaces in your body that are still holding tension.
And with each out-breath find a little more ease.
Relax your shoulders.
Your hips.
Your belly.
Observe where sensations surface in your body.
Sensations in your chest.
In your belly.
In your chest.
In your chest.
Sensations coming and going.
Like ripples on the surface of water.
Allow them to pass through you without resisting.
Just keep following this sweet rising and falling sensation.
And falling of breath in your belly.
Your whole body being lulled by the ebb and flow of the breath.
Let your breath guide you to the quiet calm within you.
You may wish to remain seated or come to rest on your back for the final few minutes of our practice.
Bring your awareness into your whole body.
Scanning for any places of holding.
Bringing your awareness to the top of your head.
Relaxing any tension in the scalp.
Softening the creases in your forehead.
Releasing your cheeks.
Your lips.
Rest your head on your tongue on the roof of your mouth.
And notice how your jaw softens.
Your whole face soft.
With the same intention to soften.
Scanning down the back of your neck.
Shoulders.
Your shoulders.
Down the spine.
Letting go of any tightness in the waist.
The hips.
All the way down the length of your legs.
Softening the thighs.
Back of the knees.
The calves.
Softening all the muscles in your legs.
Feeling the same energy of rest and relaxation making its way all the way down to your feet.
And all ten toes.
With each exhalation,
Let go of any tension.
Your body sinking deeper into the support.
Giving yourself permission to release into this moment of rest.
Letting your breath anchor you in this moment.
Letting your breath be your invitation inward.
To rest.
To listen.
To reconnect with the quiet wisdom already inside you.
Take a moment to notice how your body is moving.
Letting go of any tension.
Notice the calm washing over you.
I will leave you here in this stillness.
Stay here for as long as you need.
Thank you for joining me today for this belly breathing practice.
May the rest of your day be full of ease and peace.
Namaste.
