Deep Breathing Practice (4,7,8)

This is a quick and easy deep breathing practice using the tempo 4, 7, 8. It is meant to initiate rest and repair in the body and give you a feeling of relaxation. Please note that there is a 1 min introduction before the practice begins and there is no bell at the end so you can choose to continue the meditation for as long as you wish.

Transcript

The 3-minute breathing space meditation.

In this meditation,

We're going to explore deep,

Measured,

Intentional breathing.

For this practice,

We are going to use the 4-7-8 method,

Which is inhaling for 4 seconds,

Holding the breath for 7 seconds,

And exhaling for 8 seconds.

Which tells us that breathing with intention in a slow-paced measure is really relaxing for the mind and the body,

And it allows ourselves to enter a state of rest and repair.

So before you begin,

Make sure that you're comfortable,

And you can sit down on a chair or a couch,

Or even lie down on the floor or a bed,

If that feels right.

Just make sure that if you're lying down,

You have a pillow to support your head and a pillow underneath your knees to support your lower back.

And once you're settled,

Taking in a deep breath through the nostrils and directing that breath into the belly.

So as you breathe,

Your belly expands and moves upward.

Now hold that breath for 7 seconds,

And gently release the air for 8 seconds through the nose,

Making sure that you are exhaling all the air from the lungs.

And breathing in for 4 seconds,

Holding for 7 seconds,

And completely exhaling for 8 seconds.

And this is the tempo,

This is the rhythm for you to continue as you deepen that breath,

As you allow the belly to guide you through the breath.

It may even be helpful to imagine a balloon inside of your belly.

When you breathe in,

The balloon expands,

Expanding your belly.

When you breathe out,

The balloon contracts.

And so that visual might help to coordinate using the belly for the breath.

Let's do a few more rounds together.

Exhaling for 4 seconds,

Holding for 7 seconds,

Exhaling for 8 seconds.

And inhale for 4 seconds,

Holding for 7,

And exhaling for 8 seconds.

You might already start to feel a sense of relaxation in your entire body.

Your body may feel heavy,

Tranquil.

Continue to use the 4-7-8 breathing technique for as long as you wish.

Reviews

Good for folks getting started with 4-7-8 breathing.

What an amazing breathing exercise I did it almost every morning since I started.

Nice breathing exercise. I've always liked the 4-7-8 exercise. Thank you!