Welcome to this 5 minute breathing break.
An opportunity for you to slow down,
Take a pause and reconnect with yourself and your breath.
Often we can get so caught up in our day to day experiences,
Rushing from one thing to the next that we forget to slow down and just be for a few moments.
To calm our nervous system and create a precious moment of peace and recovery in our day.
This is an invitation to you to take a few moments out of your day to reconnect with you.
Start by getting yourself into a comfortable position,
Straightening the spine and bring your attention to your breath.
You might wish to gently close your eyes or lower your gaze to reduce any visual distractions in the space around you.
As you tune into your breath,
Notice the natural rhythm of your breathing as you inhale and exhale,
Not trying to change it in any way.
Notice the temperature of your breath as you breathe in and the temperature of the air as you breathe out.
Notice the sensations of the breath as it flows through your body,
Gently following the movement of your breath from moment to moment without judging it in any way.
Notice the space between each in-breath and out-breath and just feel the air move through your nostrils and into your lungs,
Revitalising your body.
With every exhale,
Feel yourself letting go of any tension,
Stress or worry and just continue to observe the breath with gentle curiosity.
And as you continue to focus on your breath,
I invite you now to take a slow,
Deep breath into your heart space.
Breathing in that revitalising oxygen and lengthening your exhale as you breathe out.
Breathing in deeply once again and exhaling out with a long sigh.
Continue to breathe in this way for a few more breaths,
Finding a rhythm that works for you.
If it helps,
You can count to four with each inhale and exhale to a count of eight.
And if your mind starts to wander,
That's OK.
Just notice it without judgment and bring your attention back to your breath.
And as we near the end of this practice,
I invite you now to take a moment to check in with yourself and just notice how you're feeling.
What's different when you lengthen the exhale,
You activate your body's parasympathetic nervous system or rest and digest response.
This helps to reduce any feelings of stress and anxiety,
Regulates the heart rate and brings you into a state of calm and relaxation.
Why not schedule a few breathing breaks into your day as a well-being practice and give yourself the gift of calm.
If you haven't already,
You can open your eyes or continue to stay with the breath for as long as you need to.
Knowing that as long as you're alive,
Your breath is always with you to guide you back to yourself.
Thank you so much for breathing with me today and have a wonderful day ahead.
