Hello,
My name is Melissa Klehammer,
And welcome to Pranayama for Anxiety.
When we're stressed,
Frazzled,
Grieving,
Anxious,
It's difficult to take deep breaths.
To help meet you where you're feeling anxious,
This practice is going to work on lengthening your inhales just a little bit,
But also work to create a smoothness around those inhalations.
Before we begin,
There's a few things I'd like to point out.
We're going to be lengthening the inhalations.
While we do that,
Try not to force your breath too much.
That could actually create a little bit of anxiety for you.
So while we're lengthening the breath and you're finding it to be a little difficult for you,
Back off and try a few natural breath cycles,
And then try again with the longer inhalation.
During this Pranayama,
We're going to be holding the breath out briefly.
This could create a little bit of tension for you as well.
So if you're finding that that's happening for you,
Release the hold.
And then when you feel ready,
Pick it up again and see how it goes.
Everything that I'm offering is a suggestion.
Please listen to your body,
Your experience first.
Let's begin.
Set yourself up in a comfortable position,
Seated or lying down.
And let's begin inhaling to the count of three and exhaling to the count of three.
And we'll do six rounds of breath.
Inhaling for three,
Exhaling for three.
Please complete one more cycle.
Inhale three,
Exhale three.
Now we'll add a very short pause at the top of the inhale.
So you'll inhale for three,
Hold for one second at the top,
And then exhale for three.
Six rounds like that,
Please.
Inhale for three,
Hold for one,
Exhale for three.
Please complete one more round.
And then inhale for four,
Exhale for three.
Inhale you are breathing here.
You're trying to make your breath smooth and quiet.
And then we'll move the breath.
Inhale for four,
Exhale for four.
Inhaling to the same count helps to create a level of stability with your breath and with your mind.
Please do three more rounds.
Inhale for four,
Exhale for four.
Now,
Please inhale for four,
Hold for two seconds at the top,
Exhale for four.
Inhale four,
Hold two,
Exhale four.
Breath remains smooth and silent.
Please continue.
One more round,
Please.
Inhale four,
Hold two,
Exhale four.
The next round,
Inhale for five,
Exhale for four.
Trying not to pause the breath at any point,
Keeping it nice and smooth.
Inhale for five,
Hold for four.
Let's add a one-count pause at the top of your inhale.
So it'll be inhale for five,
Hold for one,
Exhale for four.
Inhale for five,
Hold for one,
Exhale for four.
If you begin to feel that you need a longer exhale,
Allow that to happen.
As you work to lengthen your inhalation,
It's a very natural response for the exhale to want to lengthen as well.
Please do two more cycles.
Inhale for five,
Hold for one,
Exhale for four,
Or any variation that works for you.
Our final pattern,
Inhale for six,
Exhale for four.
Inhale for six,
Exhale for four.
Six rounds on your own,
Please.
Please release all effort with counting,
And allow your breath to drift back to a natural pace.
And then notice if there's been a shift in the quality of your breath,
In the quality of your mind.
Please bring your hands into your heart center with a slight bow to your head.
I hope that any residue from this practice lingers for you,
Even for just a little bit.
My name is Melissa Kleehammer,
And thank you for practicing with me today.
