Relaxing breath practice.
You can do this practice seated or lying down with eyes open or closed and at any time of the day and night to help calm and soothe the nervous system.
So firstly starting to take control of the breath,
Gently lengthening the inhale and lengthening the exhale,
Allowing the belly to fully expand as you breathe in and soften as you breathe out.
You might like to breathe in through the nose and out through the nose or the mouth,
Whichever is easiest.
And the invitation is to start to control the breath so that we're breathing in for a steady count of four and breathing out for a steady count of six.
For the extended exhale it can be much easier to control that by breathing out through the mouth but do whatever feels best for you.
Breathing in for a steady count of four and out for a steady count of six.
Using the out-breath to allow the body to soften and sink into whatever you're resting on.
A sense of letting go a little bit more with each out-breath.
Counting four as you breathe in and six as you breathe out.
Beginning to notice what's going on in the mind and body as you gently lengthen the inhale and lengthen the exhale even more.
Breathing in for a count of four and out for a count of six.
A sense of the body letting go with the out-breath.
Softening,
Relaxing,
Letting go of the control of the breath now and allow the body to breathe itself once more.
Allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm and tuning in to how you feel in this moment.
Any sensations you notice in the body that may be different from before.
Maybe a release of tension,
Perhaps the mind is calmer or perhaps nothing's changed at all and that's okay too.
Tuning in to the sensations of the body and whatever it's resting on.
Perhaps being aware of the sensations of the feet in contact with the floor if you sat down and spending a couple of moments in silence before getting ready to go about the rest of your activities today.
