Welcome to this breathwork practice for nervous system reset.
Today we'll use the power of pranayama to soothe the mind,
Calm the body,
And bring you back into balance.
Each breath is a gentle invitation to slow down,
To pause,
And to remember the quiet place within you.
So,
Let's begin by taking a few moments to simply settle in.
Settle in to this moment,
Into this space.
Allow yourself the opportunity to be here.
During this practice,
You will be engaging in disengagement,
Allowing yourself to unwind into a state of simply being.
Allow yourself to stop and just for this time,
Let go of the doing.
Let your awareness rest in your natural breath.
Notice where you feel your breath moving in your body.
When we are stressed or overwhelmed,
Our breath usually speeds up and becomes shallow,
Which makes us feel more nervous.
But focused breathing can interrupt this cycle in a way that leaves you feeling calmer,
Less tense,
And more focused.
Let's try a breathwork practice called pursed lip breathing.
Breathe in through your nose for a count of two,
Then purse your lips as if you're blowing out a candle and inhale slowly for a count of four.
Keep the exhale gentle and controlled,
Repeating this several times,
Focusing on making the exhale twice as long as the inhale.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Keep going.
And come back to your natural breath when you are ready.
Taking this time to really notice your breath and the sensation of breathing.
Breathing is something we always do but rarely notice.
This is a moment in which we stop to notice.
Now I invite you to try another breathwork practice,
Box breathing.
Visualize a box where each breath segment represents one side.
Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four.
As you imagine progressing up the side of the square,
Holding your breath for another four along the top of the square,
Exhaling for four as you move down the box,
Then pausing for a final count of four to return to the start point.
Let's begin together.
Inhale up,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold across,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale down,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold across,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Back up the side of the box.
Hold.
Exhale down the side of the box.
Hold across the bottom.
Continue for a few rounds,
Focusing on maintaining an even rhythm.
And come back to your natural breath whenever you are ready.
Allow your mind to settle.
Continue to follow your breath,
Simply observing,
Watching,
Noticing the natural flow of your breath.
As you settle more and more deeply into this present moment,
Simply observe.
Notice how it feels to watch as the body rests in stillness.
Our final breathwork practice is a four,
Seven,
Eight breathing technique.
Begin by breathing in through your nose for a count of four.
Hold your breath for a count of seven and breathe out slowly through your mouth for a count of eight.
Aiming for a gentle,
Complete exhale.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
And exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Repeat this sequence for around a minute,
Allowing yourself to fully relax into the flow.
When this feels complete,
Come back to your natural breath.
As you rest,
You may notice how your mind begins to wander.
Thoughts arise naturally.
Thinking is what our minds do.
Just notice.
When the mind wanders freely,
It takes our attention out of the present moment.
Mindfulness is noticing the wandering mind.
And each time we notice,
We can be grateful for the opportunity to return to a state of mindfulness.
Each time we notice,
We begin again.
We let go,
Letting mental constructs drift away.
So we can be present to the already happening of now,
Just as it is.
Nothing needs to happen or change.
It is just this.
Our practice is to open into the vast,
Empty now.
To see that it's just this.
And just this.
Just this.
Whenever you are ready,
Open your eyes and know that you are here.
