Hello,
My name's Michelle and welcome to this three-part breathwork practice.
This practice comes from the yoga tradition and it can be a nice daily practice or as a preliminary practice to other kinds of breathwork.
Top breathing is foundational to any other kinds of breathwork or pranayama that you might do.
So firstly establishing your posture.
You can do this breath sitting up,
Perhaps on a cushion or a chair.
It's quite nice to do this one lying down.
So perhaps lying on the back with the knees bent and the feet flat on the floor.
Doing the practice lying down just allows you to really tune into the breath a little bit more easily.
Whichever position you're in,
Just ensuring the spine is long.
So if you are sitting in a chair your back is not resting back against it.
And if it feels available you might close down the eyes or if not then just softening the gaze.
Taking a few moments now to settle into your chosen posture.
Feeling well supported by all of the places where the body meets the surface beneath.
And just having a sense of the position of the body.
Perhaps of the orientation of the body in the room.
You might have a sense of the space around the body.
And now invite the awareness to rest upon the breath.
Feel the breath just coming and going in its own gentle rhythm.
And just checking in with the breath.
How is it right now in this moment?
Is it shallow or deep?
Is it fast or slow?
Just tuning in,
Just observing without any judgement or trying to change it in any way.
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 with the exhale.
Just breathing in and out in this way.
And on the out breath just gently drawing the belly down towards the spine.
Just ensuring not to feel any straining in the breath.
Not forcing the breath in any way.
So this is the first part of this breath practice.
Feeling the breath coming and going in the abdomen.
And now keep breathing in and out.
Connect the awareness to the sides of the ribcage with the inhale feeling the ribs expand outwards and with the exhale feel them contract back in.
Just widening out to the sides on the in breath and contracting back with the out breath.
Knowing the breath in the sides of the ribcage is the second part of the practice.
And after the next out breath and the in breath comes feeling that inhale move right up into the tops of the lungs.
Right up under the collar bones.
Then feel it moving back down with the exhale.
Moving right up to the collar bones and then releasing back down.
So feeling the breath in the very top part of the lungs is the third part of the practice.
You may feel quite strange to feel the breath in this part of the body.
Much more used to feeling the breath lower down.
So now we can put all these three parts of the breath together.
On the next inhale breathing down into the belly feeling the sides of the ribs expand and the breath coming right up to the collar bones.
And then on the exhale feel the collar bones soften the sides of the ribs drawing in and the belly softening down.
Moving into the belly,
Sides of the ribs and the collar bones.
Breathing out feeling the breath contract down in all three places.
Feeling this three part breathing going for a few more breaths.
Strongly be Raised.
Beautiful.
If you have a little more time you could carry this practice on for longer.
For now we're gently drawing this practice to a close so just letting go of any effort in the breath.
Just returning to the gentle rhythm of the natural easy breath.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Hope to practice again with you very soon.
