This is a three minute breath exercise to settle and collect the mind.
And it includes a 16 second exercise which you can use throughout the day when you notice a bit of stress.
So starting now by taking an upright posture and feeling physical sensations in your body as you take a few deep breaths.
Breathing in fully,
Maybe holding the breath for just a second at the top,
And then exhaling.
And so continuing to do a few of those and maybe feeling a little taller on the in-breath,
Letting the belly expand and the lungs completely fill,
Holding for a moment.
And now letting go on the out-breath,
Feeling the body maybe let go of any unnecessary tension.
So we'll repeat this with an in-breath now to a count of four.
So and then we'll hold for a count of five and breathe out for a count of seven.
So starting now,
Breathing in for a count of four,
Filling the lungs all the way in,
Letting the belly expand,
Filling the lungs even more,
Three,
Four.
Now holding at the top,
Three,
Four,
Five,
And letting go,
Breathing out for a count of seven,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
And again,
We'll be filling the lungs,
Filling them fully,
Letting the belly expand,
Filling the lungs even a bit more for a count of four,
That's probably four right there,
And now holding for a count of five,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Letting go,
Breathing out for a count of seven,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
So continuing this now a few times on your own.
For the last few moments,
We'll let the breath return to its natural rhythm,
Noticing where we feel the breath most distinctly in the body and letting our attention rest there until the bell.
So you can use the four,
Five,
Seven exercise in daily life,
Takes only 16 seconds or so if you notice some increased stress,
To downregulate your autonomic nervous system and also feel free to continue right now if you have more time,
Continue to practice with the breath meditation.
