Hello my friend,
Thank you for joining me today for this pranayama practice.
Today we will be learning the technique of samavrti or box breathing as it is more commonly known.
This breath is known for its equanimity,
Having equal parts in the inhale and the exhale.
So as we are working on this,
We will be counting to a beat of four for each inhale.
Then we pause and hold the breath for four beats.
Exhale for four beats and hold for four beats.
If you can picture in your mind the breath is a box,
The inhale rising up,
The exhale rising up,
Pausing as we move to the side,
Exhaling down,
And holding as we complete the box.
I like to keep that visualization in my mind as I work through the breath,
Focusing on the sensation of calm and focus that it creates.
If you find yourself in a chaotic environment,
This breath can bring you back to your sense of calm no matter where you are.
Go ahead and find yourself a place where you can be undisturbed for a few moments to work on this breathing practice with me.
You can keep your eyes open or you can flutter your eyes closed,
Just noticing your breath,
Your heartbeat.
Maybe you would like to rest one palm of your hand on your heart and your other palm on your belly,
Feeling your breath as it lifts your chest,
Working its way down to lift your belly,
Connecting your body to your breath.
And as you are ready,
We'll inhale together for a beat of four,
Inhaling for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And holding two,
Three,
Four,
And exhaling two,
Three,
Four,
Hold three,
Four,
Inhale two,
Three,
Four,
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale two,
Three,
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Inhale two,
Three,
Four,
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale two,
Three,
Hold two,
Three.
Now with your own breath,
Taking the time on your own count to breathe in this way,
Finding equanimity in the inhales,
The holds,
And the exhales.
You can continue breathing in this way for as long as you'd like.
If you're ready to come back,
Go ahead and start to deepen your breath.
We start to wiggle your fingers and toes,
Bringing a little life back into your limbs.
We're rotating your wrists and ankles,
Be rolling your neck,
Stretching your shoulders towards your ears,
And letting them fall back down,
Finding relaxation as you come back to your busy life,
Holding on to this tool that you have and keeping it with you throughout the day.
If you find yourself becoming stressed throughout the day,
You can always come back to this breath,
Always have this tool to restore your sense of calm and create more focus and clarity for your day.
It has been my honor to guide you today.
Thank you for joining me for this pranayama practice.
Namaste.
