Belly Breathing

Belly Breathing is a deep breathing technique at the core of many mindfulness and relaxation practices. It may take a little bit of practice to get right, but it is well worth the effort!
Belly breathing activates our parasympathetic nervous system which slows our heart rate and puts us into a state of rest. It's needed for a healthy nervous system and helps us to feel calm and relaxed.
* We’re not actually breathing into the stomach, we’re expanding the diaphragm which causes the belly to extend outwards.

Transcript

Hello and welcome. Today I'll be guiding you through a short practice of belly breathing to create relaxation in the body by using the diaphragm to breathe. Sometimes at the end of the day we have a lot on our mind and it can be really difficult to unwind so that we can then transition into sleep. So use this technique as a way of unloading some of the mental baggage and to clear some space so that you can enter a deep state of rest. To begin I invite you to sit comfortably with your spine straight and gently close down your eyes and bring your awareness to the natural rhythm of your breath as you inhale and exhale. Notice is it fast and shallow or is it slow and deep? Noticing any tension that you may be holding in your body. Now let's take three slow deep breaths together. Breathing in and out of the nose if you can. Breathe in, Breathe out. In and out. Once more in and out. Continue to breathe slow and deep. Now bringing your focus to the abdomen rest a hand on your belly to feel the rise and fall of your belly. Breathe in slowly through your nose down into your belly. Feel it pushing outwards and then as we exhale let the belly empty and soften. Again inhale expanding the belly. Exhale belly softening contracting. Breathe in expanding. Breathe out letting go of everything. One more time inhale filling the lungs and expanding the belly. Exhale letting everything go. Let's repeat this three more times at your own pace. Focusing on the rise and fall of your belly with each breath. Breathe in expanding your belly. Breathe out softening. Breathe in and out. Once more in and out. This is such a simple practice that you can literally do anytime whenever you need to. It's super helpful for redirecting your thoughts or use it to take a mindful break during your day to calm and recenter your mind. Thank you so much for practicing with me today.