Hello,
Welcome back.
I'm Sarah,
A somatic facilitator and coach,
Here to help you build nervous system resilience so you can live up to your fullest potential with ease and confidence.
I'll be guiding you through meditation.
Breath work.
Visualization and deep rest so that you can explore the pause between where you've been and where you're going.
Welcome to liminal space.
Today's practice is short,
Simple and a useful tool your body already uses.
Two inhales,
One big and then one small at the top.
And then a long,
Slow exhale.
And we call this a physiological sigh.
Your body does this naturally all by itself whenever it needs to reset.
Small top up at the top of the exhale.
Reopens the small air sacs in the lungs.
And research suggests it may be one of the fastest ways to shift the nervous system in real time.
Often only within a breath or two.
And so today we practice doing this on purpose.
A small practice with a big impact,
One you can carry into any stressful moment of your day.
Whether you'd prefer to take this practice seated or laying down.
Let your body decide and make your way there.
Wherever you land.
Take a moment to settle into your skin.
Bones heavy to the earth.
Muscles melting around them.
Your shoulders drop.
Your jaw and clenches.
And the space between your eyebrows softened.
If it feels good to do so.
Give your eyes permission to close or maybe you just soften your gaze.
Then start to notice your breath exactly as it is,
No changing,
No judging.
Feel its location,
Its speed.
Rhythm,
Its weight.
All of it is just information.
A subtle check-in with your inner landscape.
And as you sink deeper into the earth with each breath,
I'll explain the practice we're doing today.
Will inhale through the nose,
A full comfortable breath in.
And then right at the top.
A second small sip of air through the nose.
Topping up the lungs,
Opening those small air sacs.
And then we'll take a long,
Slow exhale through the mouth,
As if we're blowing through a straw.
Not force.
More like air seeping from a tiny hole in a balloon.
Full inhale.
A small sip and then a long extended exhale.
We'll take three rounds of three sighs with three extended exhales after those three sighs.
And then we'll take a rest between each round.
So just coming back to the breath.
Whenever you're ready.
We'll start round one.
We'll take that full breath in.
Tiny sip and sigh long out of the mouth.
Breathing in fully.
With small top up and release.
Breathing in fully.
Small sip and out.
Breathing in.
And out through the nose for six.
Breathing in.
And out.
Final time in.
And out.
And then let everything go,
Release all control of your breath.
Let it return to its natural rhythm.
And just notice any shifts,
Even if it's subtle.
A softening in the chest or a relaxing between the eyes.
And then when you're ready Round 2 This time as you exhale,
Imagine something specific that you're holding on to right now.
And then allow it to leave with your breath.
When you're ready,
Breathing in.
Take a small sip.
And alert it out.
Breathing in fully.
Small top up and release.
Breathing in fully.
Small sip.
And out.
Breathing in.
And out.
Breathing in.
And out.
Final time in.
And out.
And let your breath settle and find its pace.
And rest again.
And then our final time together.
Whenever you're ready,
Take that first breath in topping it up.
And out the mouth.
Breathing in fully.
It's small top up.
And release.
Breathing in fully.
Small sip.
And out.
Breathing in.
And out.
Breathing in.
And out.
Final time in.
And out.
And then let your breath find its intuition again.
Take a moment to notice what's shifted.
Mentally.
Physically.
Emotionally.
Energetically.
Perhaps the weight of what you were carrying feels a little lighter.
Or the day has lost a little sharpness.
And remember that your breath is your anchor.
You can use this practice in a meeting,
In traffic.
In a difficult conversation.
In the supermarket queue.
It's just a quiet signal to your body.
You might need a little reset.
Your breath is with you everywhere you go.
Start to notice any urges of movement through the body feel the texture of the surface beneath you Maybe there's sounds you can hear both near and far.
All of your senses start to awaken as you emerge to feeling more relaxed.
And when it feels good to do so,
Your eyes flutter open.
And if this practice has helped you to reset,
To find your exhale.
Please share it with somebody who's been holding their breath through life lately.
Rest well and I'll see you next week.
