The Breath: Calm Anxiety & Settle Your Nervous System

This simple practice is an antidote to the symptoms of anxiety. Using the breath and a simple humming sound, which also tonifies the vagus nerve, you will feel more settled, calm & grounded. This practice is taken from day 1 of my course here on Insight Timer 'The Breath: Your Inner Pharmacy'. Disclaimer: This is not a substitute for professional help.

Transcript

This practice is called bumblebee breath, Also known as Brahmari in Sanskrit. In this practice, A humming sound is generated during a slow exhale resembling the sound of a bee. This practice has many benefits, Including the following. It helps to calm an agitated mind, It relaxes the nervous system, It boosts immunity, Reduces blood pressure, Stimulates the vagus nerve, Reduces inflammation, And more. To do this breath, You're going to take a full deep breath all the way down into your belly, And fill up your breath right up to your shoulders, And pause for a moment at the top, And exhale with a closed mouth and hum as you do so, Making sure that your breath is slow, And that you get right to the very, Very end of your exhale, And this part's really important. So try it with me now. Take a deep breath in, Pause at the top, And then hum it out. Now do it by yourself three more times, And you can begin. Take a nice deep breath in, And then pause at the top, And then hum it out. Now once you've done three rounds like that, We're going to add in, Putting our hands over our ears, So the vibration of the breath becomes more internal. If for whatever reason this doesn't feel okay for you to do that, Simply stick with the practice we did just now. Then you go ahead and do this breath at your own pace three times. So let's begin. Take a full breath in, And then block your ears, And I'll see you on the other side. Beautiful. Now, Just notice how you feel. Just notice the echoes of that practice, Any subtle shifts or changes that are present for you right now.