Welcome to this evening breath practice.
This is your time to transition from the activity of your day into the quiet of your evening.
So to begin,
I'm going to invite you to find a comfortable seated or lying position.
Wherever you are,
Letting yourself arrive here fully.
And you can gently close your eyes if that feels okay.
Take in a few moments to simply notice how you feel right now.
Perhaps your mind is still busy with the day's events.
Perhaps your body's holding some tension.
And all of that is okay.
Today's practice is about letting the day go.
Creating space for rest.
We'll begin with three natural breaths together.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
And so the day you've just lived is complete.
Whatever happened today has already happened.
It's done.
And so take a moment to acknowledge your day.
Not to analyze it or judge it.
Just to recognize you moved through another day.
You did what you could.
Some moments were easy.
Some were challenging.
All of them have passed.
As you breathe in now,
Breathe in acknowledgement.
Breathing in,
I see what this day was.
And as you breathe out,
Breathe out acceptance.
Breathing out,
I let this day be what it was.
Continuing with this rhythm,
Breathing in,
Acknowledging.
Breathing out,
Accepting.
Your breath becoming a gentle bridge between what was and what comes next.
Breathing in,
Acknowledging.
Breathing out,
Accepting.
And now we're going to work with an extended exhale.
This is a signal to your nervous system that it's safe to rest.
We'll breathe in for a count of four and breathe out for a count of six.
Let's try this together.
Breathing in for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And breathing out,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
In,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
And finding your own rhythm here.
The counts don't have to be perfect.
Just let your exhale be longer than your inhale.
And as you breathe out,
Imagine you're releasing something from your day.
Maybe it's a conversation that you're still playing in your mind.
Maybe it's tension from your shoulders.
Maybe it's just busyness.
Breathing in,
Just gathering,
And breathing out,
Releasing.
In for four and out for six.
And allowing each exhale to be permission to let go a little more.
You don't have to hold on to the day.
It's already complete.
And now we'll add something that might feel a little bit different.
We're going to use a sighing breath.
This is your body's natural release mechanism.
You've probably sighed many times today without even noticing.
So now we're going to do it consciously.
Breathing in through your nose.
And then releasing through your mouth with an audible sigh.
Don't worry how it sounds.
This is just for you.
So let's try again.
Breathing in through your nose deeply.
And letting go with a sigh.
And can you feel that releases something for you?
Do it again at your own pace as many times as you need.
Big inhale through the nose.
An audible sigh through the mouth.
And each sigh is like opening a pressure valve.
Letting out what doesn't need to be held.
And now let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
No more counting.
No more technique.
Just breathing,
Trusting your body knows how.
And notice how your breath has changed.
It might be slower.
Deeper.
Quieter.
Your body beginning to understand that the doing part of the day is over.
So with each breath now,
Feel yourself settling.
Like dust settling in still air.
Or sand settling in water.
Everything in you can begin to quiet.
Your thoughts can slow down.
They don't have to stop completely,
Just slowing down.
Your body can soften.
On grip.
Release.
Your breath continues its gentle rhythm in and out.
In and out.
And this is the breath of transition from day to evening.
From doing to being.
From holding to releasing.
And take a moment now to feel grateful.
Not necessarily for anything specific.
Just grateful to be here.
Breathing.
Alive.
Present.
Grateful that you can rest.
That you have this evening ahead of you.
Grateful for your breath.
Which has been with you all day,
Every day of your life.
This faithful companion.
And place one hand on your heart if you'd like.
And feeling it beating.
This remarkable organ that's been working for you without asking for anything in return.
And just breathe with kindness toward yourself and with gentleness.
Whatever happened today,
You did your best.
And that's enough.
Now you can rest.
In a moment you'll open your eyes and return to your evening.
Perhaps returning different than you arrived.
A little softer.
A little more settled.
The day has been released.
And so what comes next is yours to enjoy.
Take one more deep breath in.
And let it go.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
And thank you for practicing.
