In this meditation,
I'm going to take you through a breathing meditation to help you relax the body and calm the anxious mind.
This meditation can be really useful if you're finding it difficult to sleep and to prepare yourself for sleep,
Or if you're in a moment of deep anxiety when maybe you're noticing ruminating thoughts.
Something that can be really powerful to activate your relaxation is the exhale,
The out-breath.
And the reason for this is it starts to stimulate what's known as the vagus nerve.
So the longer the exhale,
A signal is sent to the vagus nerve to tell your nervous system to relax.
So let me begin by asking you to find a comfortable position.
You might be laying down on a bed,
On the floor.
Maybe the knees are bent with the feet flat,
Or maybe there's a cushion under your knees.
You could also do this meditation sitting.
So getting a feel into your posture,
Maybe gently scanning through the body,
Noticing if there are any points of tension that you could just give an invitation to soften.
And now I'm going to ask you to begin by taking a few deep breaths.
So inhale deeply through the nose,
And then just exhale it all out,
Maybe even with a sigh.
We'll do a couple more like that.
Inhale deeply,
And then release it all on the exhale.
One more deep inhale through the nose,
And release.
Now continue to breathe at your own natural pace.
And you may start to become aware that the breath has its natural rhythm.
But if this has not happened,
We'll find that natural rhythm by beginning to count mentally from 1 to 4 on the inhale,
And then 1 to 4 on the exhale.
I'll guide you through the first few breaths in this rhythm.
So inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4.
Continue on,
Inhaling for 4 counts,
Exhaling for 4 counts.
Now that you have a rhythm established with 4 counts on the inhale and 4 counts on the exhale,
We're going to start extending the exhale to 5 counts.
So again,
I'll guide you through.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5.
Continue breathing on 4 counts on the inhale and 5 counts on the exhale.
Inhaling for 4,
Exhaling for 5.
And if you lose your place,
No worries.
Always an opportunity to begin again.
Inhaling for 4,
Exhaling for 5.
Now we're going to extend the exhale for a little bit longer.
So this time we're going to inhale for 4 and exhale for 6.
So again,
I'll guide you through the first through.
Inhale for 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Leaving you to continue on your own counting.
Inhaling for 4 counts,
Exhaling for 6 counts.
Getting used to your new rhythm.
Inhaling for 4,
Exhaling for 6.
Now we're going to increase the inhale and exhale.
So we go for a 4-7 rhythm.
So inhaling for 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7.
Continuing on with inhaling for 4 counts and exhaling now for 7 counts.
So we're really extending the exhale.
Sending that message for the nervous system to relax.
Inhaling for 4,
Exhaling for 7.
Not fighting the breath,
Just gently bringing an invitation to extend that exhale.
And now finally we're going to extend the exhale for one more count.
So that we'll now be working in a 1-2 ratio.
Inhaling for 4 counts and exhaling for 8 counts.
So I'll begin again by guiding you through the first few rounds.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Breathing in for 4 counts,
Breathing out for 8 counts.
Continuing to see if you can maintain this ratio of 1-2.
So that the exhale is twice as long as the inhale.
Allowing the body and the mind to relax and prepare you for sleep or whatever the next few moments hold.
You can continue to do this rhythm for as long as you need.
Thank you for listening.
