Hi everyone,
My name is Anne Lowell and this will be a brief introduction to the importance of breath awareness for wellness and a practice of the breathing technique called three-part breath.
This practice will be relaxing but also have an energizing effect.
So it's not only great to do before yoga practice or even before you start your day,
But it can also be applied before bedtime,
When you're feeling stressed out or worried or when you need a quick energy boost.
As humans we have the amazing ability to notice our breath and the ability to change it and we do this by altering the depth of our breathing,
Where we're breathing from in our body and where our attention is when we are manipulating our breath in some way.
Controlling the breath in different ways creates different effects on the mind and body.
It affects our physiology,
Our thoughts and our emotions and thus greatly affects how we act and how we behave in our life.
Breathing is one of the simplest ways to increase body awareness and higher body awareness has been shown through research to be associated with a ton of benefits like an attuned sense of when you're hungry and when you're full,
Decreased pain sensation,
Better body image and a greater ability to notice what emotion you're feeling and choose how you'd like to respond rather than acting impulsively in a way that's not necessarily in accordance with your values and what you believe.
So basically the simple practice of noticing your breath and changing it in a focused way can greatly enhance the quality of your life.
So let's go get started.
So begin by setting up your posture and I recommend doing this technique seated on a cushion or lying down on your back and if you're seated prop your hips up somehow so your knees are below your hips.
You can either sit cross legged or your hips toward your heels in more of a kneeling position.
Make sure that your spine is long and stable but you can also feel relaxed in this position so not too rigid.
And you can feel free to move throughout the practice to find a position where you can feel regal but relaxed.
And if you decide that you'd like to lie down you might consider putting a pillow or a neck roll underneath your neck and a bolster or a pillow under your knees for greater comfort and maybe even a blanket on top of yourself as you may cool down a little bit as you relax.
And keep in mind this is also a practice you can do for as little as one to two breaths during your day in a less formal position like when you're walking to work or in your car.
So begin by letting your eyes close and without changing your breath yet simply become aware of your breathing as it currently is right in this moment.
Feel your breathing as it is without any stories about it or any judgment.
For example short,
Long,
Relaxed,
Open,
Fatigued,
Etc.
And then bring one hand to your low belly right above your pelvis.
Begin to deepen your breathing.
Breathe in for one,
Two,
Three,
Four and then exhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And as you inhale feel your hand move away from your body and as you exhale feel the hand come back toward the body.
Sending your attention to your hand as the breathing moves the hand away and toward your body.
Notice if the breath feels strained or forced in any way and if it does then try counting to three instead of four.
And if you feel that four is not enough to really expand the low belly then maybe you count to six or seven.
Now move your hand up to the middle part of your torso,
So your middle belly,
Right underneath your sternum.
Continue the four or whatever you've designated counts in and then that same amount of counts out as you bring your attention to how the breath moves your hand.
If you'd like you can also do this practice without your hand but it can sometimes help to have a tactile sense of the breath.
See if you can make your inhales and your exhales equal length.
And now allow your hand or your attention to move up to your chest where your two collar bones meet.
And focus your attention on how the breath feels in this area of your body as you breathe in and out,
Equal length,
In and out.
Now bring your other hand to your low belly and we'll now integrate the three part breath.
So as you initiate your inhale,
Feel your lower hand expand open like a balloon and then feel the inhale rise up to expand your whole torso and rib cage eventually reaching to the chest area where your top hand is.
And then as you exhale,
Initiate the exhale from the chest through the torso and out through the low belly.
The low belly is the last to descend.
And continue in this way.
You might even see at this point in practice if you can deepen your breath even more.
So if you begin with four counts in and four counts out,
See if you can extend to six counts in and six counts out.
You might notice your attention wandering and that's completely normal and okay.
You might refresh your practice by asking what can you soften in your body as you exhale without compromising your posture or your focused attention.
What can you soften with each exhale?
Now I invite you to consider what brought you to this practice today.
Why did you decide to listen to this recording?
Were you looking for more energy or were you looking for some soothing and relaxing?
So longer and deeper inhales generally have more of an energizing effect and longer drawn out exhales tend to have more of a soothing effect on the nervous system.
So if you'd like to cultivate more energy,
You might consider lengthening your inhales more than your exhales.
So perhaps six counts in and four counts out.
And if you'd like more softening and soothing of your body and mind,
You might consider lengthening your exhales more than your inhales.
So inhaling for four counts and exhaling for six.
So choose a ratio that works with your body and energy needs.
And of course remember never to force or strain.
And just enjoy this practice for several moments.
Keeps you in control.
And take two more breaths,
Really savoring the beginning,
Middle,
And end of each inhale and each exhale.
And now allow the controlled breath to come to a close and rest with your natural rhythm of breath.
See if you can completely let go of control.
Notice if the natural rhythm has changed since the beginning of practice.
Just as we did in the beginning,
Go through and label the breath how it is in this moment.
Come even more relaxed and open as you start to prepare yourself to return to the rest of your day.
And slowly open your eyes and start to awaken your senses,
Again while maintaining that sense of calm,
Focus,
And centeredness.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
I hope you enjoyed it.
