We know there is a very direct relationship between our breath and stress and we know that we can positively influence our stress levels by consciously changing our breath.
By simply slowing and deepening and lengthening your breath you can rapidly reduce stress,
Tension and tightness and you can do this anywhere,
Anytime that you choose,
Even in the heat of the moment.
This is a powerful meditative exercise called the 9 round breath.
This is an exercise that I call a circuit breaker because it's a breathing exercise that can quickly break the cycle of mounting stress and recalibrate the nervous system which helps you balance your breath,
Which helps you balance your mind.
So to get started,
Finding a comfortable position either seated in a chair or on the floor,
You want to keep your back relatively straight because this allows the front of your body to be open and to expand and to receive the breath.
Invite a sense of ease into your body.
You might close your eyes or simply soften your gaze to the floor in front of you.
Invite your whole body to soften into the chair or into the floor.
Soften your face.
Soften your shoulders.
Soften your breath.
In this exercise I shall guide you to imagine as strongly as you can that you are alternating your breath through one nostril at a time.
But first,
Let's just feel the breath at the nostrils.
Notice as you breathe in the cool touch of air at your nostrils and the movement of that cooler air through the nasal passage.
And at some point your body asks you to breathe out again,
A slightly warmer breath,
A little harder to feel the breath at the nostrils.
And now when you take your next inhalation,
Imagine as strongly as you can that you are breathing in through the right nostril and breathing out through the left nostril for the next three or so breaths.
Breathing in through the right and out through the left.
And then reversing the process.
So for the next three breaths,
Imagine breathing in through the left nostril and out through the right nostril.
Breathing in through the left and out through the right.
And then for the next few breaths,
We'll allow the breath to move evenly in and out of both nostrils.
So feeling the breath through both nostrils for the next three or so breaths.
And then repeating that exercise.
Breathing in through the right nostril and out through the left nostril for the next three or so breaths.
And then breathing in through the left nostril and out through the right nostril for the next three or so breaths.
And then breathing evenly through both nostrils for the next three or so breaths.
And to finish,
Just sitting for a few moments longer,
Allowing your breath to move back into whatever rhythm feels natural.
Just noticing how your breath feels after the exercise.
And then when you're ready,
Expanding your awareness to the outside of your body.
A sense of being seated in the room.
And then you might invite some movement to fingers and toes.
And take a couple of deeper inhalations to bring energy back into the body and into the mind,
Ready to return to your day.
This exercise is one that you can do while waiting for the kettle to boil on a train or between meetings.
You can also repeat the exercise as many times as you wish or as the time allows in order to deepen the sense of calm and peacefulness.
Whatever meditation is a practice,
A life skill.
Thank you.
