Breathwork: Conquer Stress With Relaxed Abdominal Breathing

By practicing breathing that happens automatically when you are calm and relaxed, you will naturally, in turn, become calm and relaxed. This exercise will teach you the basics of relaxation breathing and will allow you to enter a stress-free state of serenity. During this session, you will obtain the tools that will allow you to practice relaxed and calm breathing on an everyday basis. Utilize these breathing exercises everyday and, within time and with regular practice, you will naturally shift to permanent abdominal breathing.

Transcript

By practicing breathing that happens automatically when you are relaxed,

You will,

In turn,

Naturally become relaxed.

This exercise will teach you the basics of relaxation breathing and will allow you to enter a stress-free state of serenity.

During this session,

You will obtain the tools that will allow you to practice relaxed breathing on an everyday basis.

Utilize these breathing exercises every day.

Within time and with regular practice,

You will naturally shift to permanent abdominal breathing.

This is how you will gain control.

This is how you will gain control of the stressors you encounter in your everyday life.

To begin,

Lay yourself down with your back against the floor,

A couch,

A mat,

Or any surface that is suitable for you.

Find a position that is most comfortable.

This might mean loosening your waistband or removing your shoes.

This might mean unzipping your sweater or removing your glasses and putting them down in a safe place.

This might mean letting your hair down.

Do whatever is necessary to find your most comfortable position.

It's the little things that count.

We will now give you a short moment to find this level of comfort.

If you have not done so already,

Close your eyes.

Now let's begin with our breathing instruction.

We will start with breathing the air in through our nose.

The air moving way down deep into your abdomen.

Your stomach will rise and allow your stomach to rise as far as it will go.

During exhale,

You will notice the fall of your abdomen.

Concentrate on this practice.

Continue to breathe.

Guide the air in through your nose.

Then take the air deep into your lungs.

Allow it to flow into your abdomen and fill up your belly.

Let your belly fall again each time you permit the air to escape.

Do not only breathe into your chest.

Breathing into your chest is what is called shallow breathing.

Your inward breathing should flow all the way into your belly.

During inward breathing,

Your belly rises.

During outward breathing,

Your belly falls.

Solely focus on your breathing.

These are the basics of relaxed breathing.

This is how you used to breathe during your youth.

This is how you used to breathe when you were born.

This is how you were meant to breathe.

Create a connection with the breathing you were meant to have your entire life.

Breathe in through your nose.

Your nose acting as a gatekeeper for your body.

Your nose dehumidifies,

Warms,

And cleanses the air that you breathe.

When you're breathing outward,

You may breathe through your nose or through your mouth,

Whichever feels the most satisfying for you.

But you must always breathe inwards through your nose if you can.

Guide the air in through your nose.

Then take the air deep into your lungs.

Allow it to flow into your abdomen and fill up your belly.

Let your belly fall again each time you permit the air to escape.

Do not only breathe into your chest.

When we become stressed or tense our breathing changes.

When we are stressed our breathing becomes short and restricted.

Tense or stressed breathing is centralized in our chest.

On the contrary,

Breathing that occurs when we are relaxed is simple,

Natural,

Deep and profound.

Relaxed breathing occurs mainly within our belly.

We tend to neglect to recognize the fact that our breathing and our emotional health are in direct correlation with each other.

Shallow breathing can be brought on by feelings of stress,

Anger,

Frustration,

Sadness and grief.

Deep relaxed breathing promotes feelings of contentment,

Tranquility,

Pleasure,

Happiness and relief.

This deep relaxed breathing finds a home within your abdomen.

Create a comfortable and close relationship with your diaphragmatic breathing.

You are experiencing relaxed breathing.

Relaxed breathing is your birthright.

Relaxed breathing has a natural rhythm.

Allow yourself to consciously control the rhythm of your breathing.

The moment you gain control of your breathing is the same moment you gain control over your emotions and state of well-being.

Breathe as if you are relaxed.

The practice of breathing as if you are relaxed will allow you to actually become relaxed.

Remember to hold onto and value this information.

Allow this information to really sink in and make an impact.

Breathe as if you are relaxed.

Breathing in,

Allowing your belly to rise.

Breathing out,

Allowing your belly to fall.

Recognize and remember this rhythm of breathing.

This practice of breathing will transcend your life.

Breathing can shift our emotions.

Your stomach should have a significant role in your breathing.

Practice this with full intent.

Feel the sensation of your abdomen physically rising and then physically falling.

How does this feel?

What pleasures are your senses experiencing in this moment?

This practice is sensible.

This practice is impactful.

You will be in control of your emotions.

You will be in control of your daily stress and how it affects you.

You can take this practice with you absolutely anywhere you go.

It is practically unnoticeable to the public that you are even performing relaxed breathing.

You can practice at home.

You can practice at work.

You can practice at school.

You can practice at your friend's house or at your family's house.

You can practice while you are out running errands.

Practice relaxed breathing every day at every moment you can.

In through your nose and all the way down to your belly.

Belly rise.

Belly fall.

Much of this breathing takes place in your abdomen.

If you feel the need,

You are welcome to arc your back just ever so slightly.

Arcing your back just a touch can help increase the airflow into your abdomen.

If you are experiencing issues with breathing,

Please arc your back slightly.

Permit yourself to experience this breathing sensation in full.

Permit yourself to succumb to this breathing exercise.

Permit yourself to enjoy.

Relaxation is the result of relaxed breathing.

We are now going to move into our relaxed breathing basics modifications.

Breathe in through your nose.

Allow this breath to flow into your abdomen.

This time fill your belly to capacity with air.

Your belly should be large and full and look much like a party balloon or a bloated belly.

Continue to inhale.

You should feel the pressure against your ribs.

Fill your belly,

Fill your lungs,

Fill your chest.

Fill yourself all the way from the bottom to the top.

Slowly allow yourself to exhale.

Do this ever so slowly.

Allow yourself to experience the full sensation of relaxation and release.

Your level of relaxation should become amplified.

This is deep relaxation.

This breathing should be slow but also conducted at your own pace.

Repeat this practice of modified relaxed breathing.

Breathe in through your nose.

Move the air into your abdomen.

Fill your belly to capacity with air.

Continue to inhale.

Feel the pressure against your ribs.

Fill your belly,

Fill your lungs.

Relax and fill your chest.

Fill yourself up all the way.

Your inwards breath is long,

Drawn out and slow.

Feel the sensation of relaxation and release each time you exhale.

Your level of relaxation deepens with each outward breath.

With each outward breath you are releasing the tension from your body.

You will feel yourself letting go of the tension in your muscles with each breath.

Dedicate your current focus to this practice.

Breathe in through your nose.

Move the air all the way down into your abdomen.

Fill your entire torso with air.

You should feel full of air right from your neck all the way down to your hips.

You'll even feel this air existing within your head.

Feel the healthy level of pressure and expansion.

Fill yourself completely.

Once you are full,

Simply let go and allow the air to slowly escape your body through your mouth or through your nose.

Concentrate on your breathing.

Breathe in through your nose.

Fill your lungs entirely.

Breathe consciously.

Breathe slowly.

Breathe out.

Let go.

Relax.

Feel deep relaxation.

Enjoy this moment and find the pleasure that you are rightfully receiving in this exercise.

If you have found yourself in the midst of mind-wandering,

Please take this moment to consciously bring yourself back to your breathing practice.

Be aware of your breathing.

Breathing in and expanding your lungs.

Bring on deeper relaxation with a slow exhale.

Feel this wave of breathing and relaxation.

If at any point during your activities of daily living you find yourself tense,

Stressed or overwhelmed,

Simply bring yourself back to this breathing method.

As little as 2 minutes of proper conscious breathing can help to release these feelings of tension and stress.

You may choose to practice these breathing exercises at bedtime.

This can assist allowing you to fall asleep more quickly and lead you into a deeper and more effective sleep.

Concentrate on your breathing.

Breathing in fully and slowly.

Breathing out fully and slowly.

Give yourself permission to relax.

Full breaths.

Deep breaths.

Each time you breathe out,

Allow the relaxation to root itself deep within your body like the roots of a healthy strong healing tree.

Relax.

It is your right as a human being to have the ability to relax.

Continue to breathe and at the same time become aware of how you are feeling at this very moment.

We will now move into further modifications of this breathing exercise.

This modification will include adding a count to your breathing.

You will count 1 Mississippi,

2 Mississippi,

3 Mississippi,

4 Mississippi as you breathe in.

Once you reach the number 4,

Your belly will be full with air.

When your belly is full,

You will hold your breath for the same count of 4.

1 Mississippi,

2 Mississippi,

3 Mississippi,

4 Mississippi.

After holding your breath for 4 steady seconds,

You will also release your breath following the same count of 4.

1 Mississippi,

2 Mississippi,

3 Mississippi,

4 Mississippi.

Ensuring that you have not completely emptied the air out of your body until the final count of 4.

Remember to always breathe in through your nose if you can.

Your nose is your body's filter.

Breathing in 1 Mississippi,

2 Mississippi,

3 Mississippi,

4 Mississippi.

Holding your breath 1 Mississippi,

2 Mississippi,

3 Mississippi,

4 Mississippi.

Breathing out 1 Mississippi,

2 Mississippi,

3 Mississippi,

4 Mississippi.

Relax.

Allow the deep relaxation to settle in as you continue to practice your 4 count breathing exercise.

Slowly count to 4 each time.

Allow any tension to escape your body.

Pay attention to this breathing pattern.

Become familiar with it so that you can come back to it and utilize it time and time again at any point or on any day following today's exercise.

Breathing in for 4 counts.

Holding your breath for 4 counts.

Breathing out for 4 counts.

Root this level of deep relaxation within yourself.

Is your mind wandering?

If so,

Bring yourself back to your breathing practice.

Continue with your 4 second breathing.

If you would like to increase your count at this time and you know you can do so safely,

Feel free to increase your count of 4 to 5 or 6 or whichever number feels best suited for you.

Just ensure that your inwards breath count,

Your held breath count and your outward breath count are all the same.

If you breathe in for 5 seconds,

You will hold your breath for 5 seconds and you will breathe out for 5 seconds.

Do not rush your count.

Each count should be exactly the same.

This is a breathing exercise you can practice when you're out for a casual stroll.

You can use each step to time your breathing.

Breathe in for 6 steps.

Hold for 6 steps.

Breathe out for 6 steps.

Maintaining proper pace.

4 steps,

6 steps,

8 steps.

However many steps feels best to you.

If you want this level of relaxed breathing to become a part of your everyday life,

If you want this relaxed type of breathing to come naturally to you,

Practicing this type of breathing for at least 15 minutes each and every day will help you achieve this.

Imagine what it would feel like to breathe like this permanently.

Imagine what it would be like to feel this level of relaxation regularly.

Focus on your breathing.

Breathe in for your chosen count.

Hold for your chosen count.

Breathe out for your chosen count.

Feel the relaxing sensation of release in each exhale.

Enjoy where you are right now.

Breathe with intention.

Breathe slowly.

At this point,

We're going to begin to assess the progress that we have made with our breathing so far.

This assessment is not a test or a competition,

But rather a way of demonstrating the impact of the breathing exercises we are conducting today.

In a short moment,

I am going to say the word begin.

When you hear me say the word,

I am going to start a timer for one full minute.

During this timed minute,

I want you to count to the number of full breaths that you complete within the timed minute.

One inhale,

One hold,

And one exhale combined counts as one breath.

Do not rush your breathing.

Breathe as you have been during this exercise.

If you struggle to maintain your breathing and to count your number of breaths at the same time,

Feel free to use your fingers to count your number of breaths so that you can continue to focus on pacing your breathing.

If the minute starts while you are in the middle of a breath,

Do not rush that breath.

Simply begin counting your breaths on your next breath.

Let's begin.

You will now begin counting your breaths for one minute.

Very slowly,

Maintaining your counts,

Not rushing.

I will let you know when we have reached one full minute.

Inhale,

Hold,

Breathe.

Remain comfortable.

Your one minute is now complete.

How many breaths did you count?

You'll notice that in this one minute,

You processed significantly less breaths than you would have in your normal everyday breathing.

Yet,

The breaths you processed in this exercise were far more effective,

Relaxing,

And beneficial.

The average number of breaths for an adult at rest per minute is up to 20 breaths per minute.

Think about that for a second.

Think about the impactful change you made to your breathing and your health today.

How do you feel?

You may choose to discontinue your breathing exercise at this time.

You no longer have to count your breaths in,

Your hold,

Or your breaths out.

But please continue to breathe at a slow and relaxed pace.

Let's complete our breathing exercise with a full body scan.

Continue to breathe consciously and slowly in through your nose and then slowly breathe out.

Bring your focus to your toes.

Feel the energy all the way down in your toes.

Feel the energy in the tops of your feet,

The balls of your feet,

Your arches,

Your heels.

Feel it at your ankles and notice the energy rise up into your shins and your calves.

Feel yourself filling up with energy.

The energy reaches your knees,

Flowing up into your quadriceps and hamstrings.

Energy reaching your gluteus and your hips.

Let the energy sit between your hips for a moment.

Now rising up into your belly,

Spreading out into your ribcage,

Filling up your chest and your lungs and your heart.

Draping down into your arms,

Your elbows,

Your wrists,

Your hands,

Your fingers and your fingertips.

Coming up through your neck and your throat,

Spreading over your face,

Your lips,

Your nose,

Your eyes,

Your forehead,

Your cheeks.

Wrapping around the back of your head,

Reaching the top of your head and now allow the energy to just flow through your body freely,

Everywhere it wants to go.

Continue to breathe consciously and slowly.

Simply allow yourself to just let go.

As we begin to come back from our relaxation practice,

I am going to count down from the number 10.

Starting with 10,

Where we will be mindful of the great things we obtained throughout this session.

And finishing with 1,

Where we will find ourselves refreshed and fully aware,

Ready to carry on with what we have ahead of us.

10.

Consider the beneficial relaxation methods you learned throughout today's session.

9.

8.

Remember the breathing exercises you practiced during our time together.

7.

6.

Bring these breathing basics and this level of relaxation with you as you move forward.

5.

4.

Begin to become aware of your surroundings.

3.

2.

Open your eyes as you will now see with a heightened level of positivity and purpose.

1.

You are now fully alert.

Breathe,

Stretch,

Smile and continue on having a wonderful time.

Namaste.

Reviews

I love breath work meditation and this is the reason why! Such a great meditation!