Introduction To Breathwork
by John Quirk
This video will guide you gently through a powerful three-part breathing technique intended to help clear the mind and reduce stress and anxiety. This technique is a great segue into meditation helping you achieve relaxed brainwave states making meditation much easier to "drop in"
Transcript
Lying down,
Take a moment just to find a comfortable position.
And we'll start with our hands placed on our belly,
The lower abdomen.
Taking a few rounds just to get comfortable with our three-part breathing.
So first take a breath down into the deep belly.
Feel the hands rise as the belly rises.
And then pause.
Now inhale a bit more,
Try to fill the upper chest with breath.
And pause.
And then open mouth,
Big exhale and let it go.
Good,
Breathing down into the belly,
Inhale and pause.
And then inhale,
Continue to the upper chest all the way up to the throat and pause.
Open mouth,
Exhale and release.
And again,
Deep breath into the belly and pause.
Inhale to the chest,
The throat and pause.
And then release the breath,
Open mouth and exhale.
Inhale to the belly,
Inhale to the chest,
Pause,
Open mouth and let it go.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Open mouth and release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Deep into the belly,
Inhale,
Pause,
Into the chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale and release.
And now taking a deep breath in,
Fill the belly,
Fill the chest,
Fill the arms,
The legs,
The fingers,
The toes.
Keep inhaling,
Inhaling,
Inhaling.
And then hold your breath at the tippy top,
But relax your face,
Relax your jaw.
Let your body sink into the earth.
Let the energy of that breath move its way through the body,
All the way out to the edges of your body.
And see if you can take one more little sip of breath in,
But stay just as relaxed.
See if you can relax even more.
Letting that energy swirl,
Holding for just another moment.
I want you to gather some stress,
Some tension.
We're going to make some noise this time.
Open mouth,
Big exhale,
All the way.
Hold for just a moment.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Inhale chest,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Into the belly,
Pause,
Up to the chest,
Pause,
Open mouth and release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Into the belly,
Pause,
Into the chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Fill the belly,
Pause,
Fill the chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Fill that belly,
Inhale,
Pause,
Fill the chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth and release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Fill the belly,
Pause,
Fill that chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Slowly now,
Take a deep breath in,
Belly,
Chest,
Arms,
Legs,
Fingers,
Toes.
Keep going all the way to the crown of the head,
Breathe in,
Breathe in,
Breathe in.
Relax and hold,
Deeply feel the sensations in the body.
Allow the focus to stay inward,
Try not to let the mind run off.
Just do your best to stay in this present moment.
If you feel a little bit stressed,
See if you can take a little sip of breath,
Reset and relax deeper.
Holding just a bit longer,
Energizing the body,
Relaxing the mind.
See if you can hold just one more moment.
Now really add some big noise,
Open mouth,
Exhale and ahhhhhh.
Now holding empty for just a moment,
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth and release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open up,
Let it go.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open up,
Let go.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Open up,
Release.
Fill your belly,
Pause,
Fill your chest,
Pause,
Open up,
Release.
Fill the belly,
Pause,
Fill the chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Release.
Fill the belly,
Pause,
Fill the chest,
Pause,
Open up,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open up,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open up,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open up,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open mouth,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open up,
Release.
Inhale belly,
Pause,
Inhale chest,
Pause,
Open up,
Release.
Slowly deep breath in,
Inhale,
Inhale,
Inhale,
Inhale.
Feel that in the body,
Feel it in the brain.
Feel the connection to your heart center.
Relax the body deeply,
Doing so good.
Let the thoughts melt away,
Let the body be still and heavy.
Relaxing in this absolute stillness,
Moment to moment.
Just as an observer here to notice how you feel.
See if you can take another little sip of breath in,
Just a little bit more air in.
And then relax the body even more,
Even deeper.
See if you can keep the thoughts from straying,
Keeping it positive and relaxed.
As you hold just a little bit longer,
Starting to challenge your edge of how long you can hold.
But staying relaxed,
Staying calm,
Staying positive,
Just a little bit longer.
Any last little bits of tension and stress,
I want you to gather those up.
When you open your mouth,
Make a big sound and let it all go.
Let it go,
Let it go,
Let it go,
Let it go.
Starting to cycle back into normal breathing.
Just gently watching the breath in and out of the body.
Take a moment to acknowledge yourself,
Giving your absolute best,
Staying fully present.
I want you to give yourself as much time as you need to stay here.
Really feel what you just did.
As we start to transition into our meditation practice,
You might decide on a day where you're feeling a little bit tired,
That you want to just stay lying down,
It's totally fine.
If you're shifting to a comfortable seat,
Just take your time to get there.
There's no rush at all.
Make sure you're nice and comfortable.
As you find the position that works for you,
Just check in with that newfound breathing.
You might notice an ease now,
The breathing in and out of the body.
If it's accessible,
You might direct the breath in and out through the nose.
Begin to relax the muscles in your face,
Especially your jaw.
Softening the temples,
The eyebrow,
The cheekbone.
Softening the ear,
The back of the neck.
Relaxing any constriction in your throat,
Allowing that passageway to be open and clear.
Your shoulders feel heavy away from your ears.
Relaxing your shoulder blades down on your back.
Letting your arms feel like they weigh 100 pounds wherever they rest.
There's no effort to hold them up.
As if your hands weigh 100 pounds,
Each finger weighs 100 pounds.
Your whole upper body just sits perfectly into your hips.
Notice the heavier that you feel,
The more you root yourself down to the earth below.
You feel the earth supporting the weight of your body,
Holding you up.
Draw your attention to the center of your chest,
Like a flower beginning to bloom.
Allow the heart space to just slowly,
Throughout this meditation,
Invite you at any time,
Just to come back to this feeling of the heart space opening and blooming,
Like a rose that never stops opening.
These new layers,
New beauty,
You notice some new colors.
You might imagine the breath allowing the space in the heart center to open even more and even more,
Keeping a softness and a gentle curiosity,
So that if your mind wanders or if you start to think outside of this space,
You're just invited to come back.
You're wanting to see what unfolds next.
Continuing to watch the blooming in the heart center.
Notice what emotions are present there.
Without judgment,
Notice if the body is finding tension anywhere.
Just an invitation to relax a bit deeper,
To soften a bit more.
Keep directing the attention back to the heart space with that curiosity and wanting to know what unfolds next.
Just gently directing the mind's eye back to the space in the center of your chest,
Your sacred heart,
Flowers changing colors.
Maybe it's growing a bit bigger,
Spreading a bit wider,
Becoming more of the essence of who you are,
A much deeper level.
If the mind goes astray,
Not a problem,
Don't worry.
Just an invitation to come back through the breath to the center of the heart,
Playful curiosity.
It's blooming for you here now.
As you relax your body deeper and deeper into the earth,
It becomes the root,
The root for this bloom,
This flower.
You might notice you can draw nutrients and energy up from the base of the spine through the belly to your sacred heart.
You might notice the breath drawing the energy upwards.
Each inhale bringing more life and vitality into the heart space.
With every exhale,
The flower grows,
Blooms.
Just noticing what's present for you here right now.
Open a bit more,
Soften just a little bit more.
Be a bit more playful,
Surrendering a bit more control,
Completely curious of the present moment,
Unfolding of the beauty in the center of your chest.
Your breath inviting you back to your heart space,
Urging you as you go just a little bit deeper into that center.
And curiosity back one more time.
You stay in this space,
Just watching unfold without trying to force it.
A place of pure surrender,
Just allowing whatever's there to be.
Now as you start to draw your attention back to your physical body,
Draw it back to the physical heart.
You might even take one or both hands,
Place it over your heart center in gratitude.
This amazing heart is always there for you,
Always working for you whether you ask it to or not.
Acknowledge yourself for taking this time to connect deeper with this center,
Sacred center.
Acknowledge yourself for your efforts.
And whenever you feel ready,
You can begin to open your eyes.
