Welcome everyone,
My name is Nadine and today I would like to guide you through a short belly breathing practice.
So for those of you who don't know belly breathing,
It's also called abdominal breath or diaphragmatic breathing sometimes.
So it is a very simple but very powerful breathing technique and it is also one of the most researched of the breathing techniques which has been proven again and again to help deactivate the sympathetic nervous system which is the fight or flight nervous system,
Fight or flight mode and to get us back into the governing state,
The parasympathetic nervous system which is the rest and digest system.
So usually when we feel stressed or anxious or have to make difficult decisions our breath tends to get shallow and it tends to get caught up or stuck in the chest,
All the way up in the chest.
So this practice,
This belly breathing helps us to direct and send the breath downward towards the belly and in this way it is incredibly effective for grounding,
It is wonderful for creating calmness amidst the chaos,
Amidst the storm and it's beautiful for establishing steadiness,
Focus,
Clarity in the mind,
Steadiness in the mood.
So in my opinion it's the most important of all the breathing techniques and it is very simple and you can do it almost everywhere while you are commuting in a bus or the train or the car,
Of course not when you're driving and when you're in an airplane or sitting at your desk,
It can be done anywhere and even just one minute or so can make a huge difference.
So you can think of it as a daily self-care maintenance practice.
I use it a lot when I feel scattered,
I'm having trouble making a decision or when I feel creatively blocked,
When I just feel a little confused or nervous,
Anxious,
Restless,
Fidgety,
Ungrounded.
So yeah,
So let's get started.
So first just take a moment to find yourself a quiet space where you'll be undisturbed for a few minutes,
Maybe closing the door,
Shutting off any devices that's maybe buzzing or beeping,
Shutting off any external distractions and then establish a nice and comfortable seat.
You can be in a chair,
On the floor or on your bed or sofa,
Wherever you can sit comfortably for a few moments.
If you need some support for your back,
Maybe you lean against the wall or the back of your chair.
You can rest your hands on your lap and take a moment to just rock your hips a little side to side and even out the weight in your seat,
Evening out the weight between your two sitting bones and if your feet are flat on the floor,
Evening out the weight between your feet and then begin to lengthen the spine.
So using a little bit of abdominal strength to sit up nice and tall,
But still with ease and grace.
Align the head right over the center of your shoulders.
So maybe even pulling the head back an inch or two,
So it's right over the center of your shoulders and then tuck the chin slightly,
Lengthening the back of your neck.
Let the eyes soften or let the eyes close and as good as you can,
Relax the muscles in the face and your jaw,
Loosen up the jaw,
Letting there be a little space between the teeth and let the tongue rest at the base of your mouth.
Soften the shoulders a little,
Letting them melt down your back towards the floor.
Rest nice and open and soft and then bring your attention to your breath without changing or manipulating the breath for now.
Just follow the natural rhythm and flow of your breath and notice where you're feeling the breath the most right now in your body.
Maybe it's in your belly,
Maybe in your ribs or the chest,
Maybe the throat,
The nostrils,
Maybe even all the way up in your head.
There's no right or wrong or good or bad answer here.
You're just noticing where your breath is right now in your body.
Notice the temperature of the breath as it enters and as it leaves your nostrils.
Maybe there is a feeling of coolness when you breathe the air in and a sense of warmth on the upper lips when you breathe the air out.
Just see if you can feel that or maybe just visualizing,
Imagining that.
Then start to notice the quality of your breath.
Is your breath deep or shallow?
Is it slow or fast or somewhere in between?
Is it smooth or choppy?
Does it feel and flow fluidly or does it feel a little stuck?
And again,
Just noticing and observing without judgment,
Without trying to fix or manipulate the breath.
Notice if any tension has moved back into your face,
Your jaw,
Your shoulders.
Continue relaxing the face and the shoulders.
Now take one hand on your lower belly,
Right underneath your belly button and bring your attention down to the belly.
Breathing in and out through the nose,
If that's comfortable,
Start to direct your breath downward towards your belly.
So inhaling downward and letting the breath expand your belly like a balloon.
And on the exhalation,
Pull the belly button back towards the spine,
Squeezing out the breath,
Deflating the balloon.
Then on an inhale,
Letting the abdominals soften and relax so your belly can expand and inflate like a balloon.
And on an exhale,
Drawing the belly button back towards the spine,
Squeezing out all the air.
Keep going like this,
Inhaling downward,
Letting the belly expand and open,
Move into your hand.
And on the exhalation,
Draw the belly button back towards the spine,
Feeling the belly moving away from your hand,
Squeezing out the still air.
And again on an inhale,
Totally softening the abdominals and letting the belly inflate,
Expand.
And on an exhale,
Drawing the navel back towards the spine,
A little bit of abdominal strength to squeeze out the air.
And keep going like this,
A few more deep,
Long,
Full breaths downward.
Deep,
Low,
Smooth,
Downward breath,
Letting the belly expand and contract.
Letting the belly inflate and deflate,
Massaging the internal organs with your breath.
Each inhalation,
Letting it be refreshing and rejuvenating,
Inspiring.
And each exhalation soothing and purifying,
Enhancing clarity and focus.
Take two more deep,
Full belly breaths.
Never forcing,
Never straining.
You're just letting the breath be low and smooth and deep.
When you've completed that last one,
Release and let go of any control of the breath.
And as the natural breath takes over,
Just take a moment to feel the imprint of your practice.
Maybe feeling some warmth in the belly from the abdominal work.
Maybe feeling a little bit of spaciousness around the heart and the lungs,
More air,
More expansion there.
Maybe feeling or noticing colors or patterns,
Movements of light on the movie screen of the eyelids.
Feeling a little more space in the head,
In the mind,
Maybe between your thoughts.
And just take another moment here to linger in that spaciousness between your thoughts.
And when you're ready,
You can slowly gradually let the eyes flatter open.
Coming back into the room.
So this is your belly breath or abdominal breath or diaphragmatic breathing.
So maybe if you feel like I'm inviting you to practice with this a little bit throughout your day,
Maybe throughout this week.
So whenever you're feeling stressed or anxious or restless,
Ungrounded,
Spacey,
Scattered,
Fidgety,
You can just come back to the breath of the belly for a minute or two and reestablish that creative,
Grounded,
Calm state that will allow you to navigate the challenges of your day with much more ease and grace.
I hope this was helpful and I look forward to practicing with you again.
Have a wonderful day.
