Hello,
My name's Michelle and this is the basic yogic breath or diaphragmatic breathing practice.
This practice comes from the yoga tradition and it can be useful as a daily practice or as a preliminary to any other kind of breathwork.
This practice is the foundation for all other kinds of breathwork or pranayama practices.
Firstly,
Take some time to establish your posture.
You can do this breath sitting up on a cushion or a chair or perhaps lying down.
If you're newer to breathwork you might find it easier to practice lying down,
Lying on the back with the knees bent and the feet on the floor.
This position allows you to really tune into the breath in the abdomen.
Whichever posture you're in,
Ensure the spine is long,
So if you're sitting in a chair you're not resting back.
If it feels available you could close down the eyes or if not then just softening the gaze down.
Taking a few moments to settle into the posture,
Feeling all of the places where the body meets the surface beneath.
Feeling that the body is well supported.
Noticing the touch of air upon the skin.
And widening out your awareness to include any sounds that might be going on around you.
Any sounds from far away,
Outside the space where you are.
Any sounds from inside the space.
And the sound of your own breath.
Letting all sounds be welcome.
If there aren't any sounds then just welcoming the silence that's present.
And now let the focus of awareness rest upon the breath.
Feel the breath just coming and going in its own gentle rhythm.
In this practice we're not trying to consciously control the rate or the rhythm of the breath.
Perhaps just noticing how you're breathing right now.
Does the breath feel shallow or deep?
Is it fast or slow?
Just noticing without judgement or trying to change it.
And now keep breathing naturally but allow the belly to soften and direct the breath down into the belly.
Feeling the belly rise on the inhale and fall on the exhale.
Breathing in and out.
And with the exhale allowing the belly to gently draw in towards the spine.
Just taking care not to overdo this.
We're not forcing the breath in any way.
Just directing it into the abdomen.
Perhaps also having a sense of the diaphragm inside the abdomen.
The diaphragm is a large dome shaped muscle that pulls down from the ribs into the abdomen on the inhale.
Which increases the capacity of the lungs.
And then feeling or having a sense of the diaphragm contracting back up towards the ribs with the exhale.
Breathing into this lower belly in this way can help to lower the heart rate.
And stabilize the blood pressure.
And it also encourages full oxygen exchange which makes the breath more efficient and beneficial for the body.
Feeling the belly rise with the inhale and the belly gently drawing in towards the spine with the exhale.
And if you have time you might carry on this practice a little longer.
But for now we're going to draw this practice to a close.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
