Hello and welcome,
My name is Sari.
This short practice can pull a sense of calm into the body and peace in the mind,
Allowing feelings of stress and anxiety or any other negative emotion to fall away as we follow the breath.
Let's start by finding a comfortable seated position,
The spine upright and alert with the back supported.
Or you can lay down for this practice with the knees bent,
The feet on the ground so we have full access to the lungs.
Eyes closed,
Welcoming the stillness.
Today's breath work is practiced through the nostrils with the mouth closed.
Begin by breathing lightly through the nose,
Beginning to settle the body into this position you are in.
You might notice the muscles beginning to unclench and soften.
You may notice some gripping in the body and maybe as you start to focus on the breath,
The releasing can begin.
As you take your next breath in,
Gather up any fogginess,
Negative emotions or the activity in the mind.
Let's hold it at the top and with the breath out,
Let it go.
Breathing with the belly,
Breathing in for four and out for four.
Inhale gently for four,
Soft exhale for four.
Belly's rising,
Inhale in.
Belly falls,
Inhale,
Exhale.
Keep that pattern now on your own.
In for four,
Out for four.
Taking this time to get calm,
Feeling the belly rise on the gentle inhales and fall on those soft exhales,
Allowing your mind to be relaxed but focused.
Remember all this breathing is done with the belly.
The belly is rising on the inhales,
Falling on the exhales,
Gentle like a wave.
Now changing the pattern,
Go ahead and exhale and breathe with me now.
All the way in,
Hold the breath in at the top there.
Go ahead and exhale,
Inhale,
Hold,
Exhale.
Inhaling for four,
Focusing on the fullness and depth of the breath throughout the body,
Hold and exhale.
Soft and gentle,
Inhale with the belly,
Hold,
Finding peace in this pause and exhale.
On your next inhale,
Take the breath into the whole body and hold.
When we exhale,
We're going to do so through the teeth,
Leaking the air out,
Creating a hissing sound like you have poked a hole in a tire.
It's going to sound a little bit like this.
Go ahead and exhale now,
All the way out and inhale,
Slowly filling all the way up,
All through the nose and hold at the top,
Hissing exhales through the teeth.
Inhale slow,
Bringing in that sense of calm and hold,
Hissing exhales.
Continuing with this pattern,
Slow on your own now,
Inhaling through the nose,
Belly rising on those inhales,
That brief hold at the top and long,
Slow,
Hissing exhales through the teeth.
Those negative emotions,
Feelings of anxiety and stress leaking out from you,
Floating away.
Focus the mind on that hissing exhale,
The body falling into relaxation.
Exhale completely now and inhale into the whole body,
Feel all the way up,
The belly,
The chest,
The upper clavicle and hold.
Body is relaxed,
Muscles unclenched and through the nose,
Go ahead with that out breath and let the breath fall from the body.
Take a moment to let go of the practice,
Your breath now returning to a natural rhythm and with the eyes remaining closed,
See if you can notice any shifts in the body,
Anything you might feel or sense,
Vibrancy,
Lightness,
A sense of aliveness.
Maybe you sense the energy in the tips of your fingers,
A physical feeling of relaxation and calm and the mental feeling of relaxation and peace.
Keep the eyes closed but bring yourself back to the space around you,
Any sounds in the room and the feeling of your skin.
This practice will likely have you feeling a greater sense of relaxation and ease,
A short session that can be practiced daily,
Pulling in that calm and peace.
When you are ready you can open your eyes and take in your surroundings and you can get back to your day in this relaxed state.
Thank you for practicing with me today,
See you soon.
