Welcome,
So this practice is about using your exhale to ground yourself in the present moment.
When we're anxious or stressed or overwhelmed,
We're often living in our heads,
Disconnected from our bodies and from the earth beneath us.
The exhale is our pathway back down,
Back to the body,
Back to the ground,
Back to the here and now.
So find a comfortable seated position to begin with your feet flat on the floor if possible.
If you want to lie down instead,
That's fine too.
Close your eyes if that feels okay.
And we'll begin with three natural breaths.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
And before we work with the breath today,
Let's establish your connection to the earth.
So if you're seated,
Feel your feet on the floor,
Really feel them,
The soles of your feet,
Your toes,
Your heels.
If you're lying down,
Feel the surface beneath you holding your entire body.
This solid support is always here,
Always reliable.
The ground doesn't go anywhere.
Press your feet gently into the floor and feel the floor pressing back.
This is the earth holding you.
You might even imagine roots growing down from the soles of your feet,
Extending deep into the earth.
Strong roots,
Stable and anchored.
You're connected to something much larger than yourself,
Something solid,
Something that can hold you.
And this felt sense of being supported by the earth,
And this is what we mean by grounding.
And now bring your attention to your breath,
Particularly to your exhale.
Don't change anything yet,
Just notice how does your exhale feel right now?
Is it shallow,
Deep,
Slow,
Smooth,
Choppy?
Just observe.
And the exhale is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system,
So your rest and digest response.
This is the calming branch of your nervous system.
So when you lengthen your exhale,
You're literally telling your body it's safe and you can relax.
When you breathe out,
You're releasing,
Letting go,
Coming down.
Let's take a slightly deeper breath in now,
And let it out through your mouth with a sigh.
You feel that sigh bring you down and ground you.
Doing that twice more at your own pace,
Deep breath in through your nose,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
And now we'll work with the exhale more intentionally,
So we're going to practice breathing with an extended exhale.
Inhale through your nose for a count of four,
And exhale through your nose for a count of six.
So inhaling for four,
Exhaling for six.
And continuing like this with the exhale slightly longer than the inhale.
This is the key to activation of the calming response.
Continuing at your own pace,
In for four and out for six.
As you exhale,
Imagine you're releasing tension down through your body,
Out through your feet and to the earth,
Like gravity is pulling the tension down and out.
Inhale,
Gathering,
Exhale,
Releasing down and out.
If a count of six feels too long,
You can do five.
The important thing is that your exhale is longer than your inhale.
And keep breathing in and breathing out,
Sending tension down into the earth.
Continuing to breathe with this extended exhale,
We're going to add a little visualization.
As you inhale,
Imagine you're drawing energy up from the earth through your feet,
Up through your legs,
Into your belly.
As you exhale,
Imagine that energy flowing back down through your legs,
Out through your feet,
Deep into the earth.
And so you're creating a circuit,
A flow,
Down with the exhale,
Up with the inhale.
But the emphasis is on the downward flow,
The grounding,
The releasing.
Breathe in,
Drawing up from the earth.
Breathe out,
Releasing back down into the earth.
You are not separate from the earth.
You're in constant exchange with it.
Breathing in what you need,
Releasing what you don't.
Supported,
Held,
Grounded.
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
No more counting,
No more technique.
Just breathing naturally.
And notice how do you feel.
More settled,
More solid.
And that's what grounding feels like.
And keep your awareness on your feet,
On your connection to the earth.
And you can carry this with you.
Anytime you feel ungrounded,
Anxious,
Scattered,
Overwhelmed,
You can return to this.
Feel your feet.
Extend your exhale.
Release down.
And this is always available to you.
The earth is always here.
Your breath is always here.
Take one more deep breath in.
And a long breath out,
Releasing everything down.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
And before you move on with your day,
Take a few moments to look around you.
To notice your environment,
To feel your feet on the floor.
You're here.
You're grounded.
You're supported.
And remember the fastest way to ground yourself is through the exhale.
Breathing out,
Releasing down,
Coming back to earth.
Thank you for practicing.
