Welcome to the practice for holding space.
We're going to do a breathing practice today.
Breathing is information.
The more stressed you feel,
The faster you breathe.
Your brain will notice this and read it as a signal that things are not going well.
So that fast shallow breathing,
Which happens when you stressed,
Is effective when telling your brain that you're running away from a lion.
But how many lions have you seen today?
So we have an ancient body in a modern world,
Right?
But the reverse of this rule is also true.
If you breathe slowly,
You're giving your brain a signal that you're in a place of calm and you'll start to feel less stressed.
Studies have even shown that the right kind of breathing can reduce our perception of pain,
Both at the pace at which you breathe and how deeply you breathe changes your stress response.
So we're going to first practice the 3-4-5 breath technique.
So choosing a comfortable seat,
Making sure your feet are firmly on the ground,
Your back is reasonably straight and your hands can be on your knees or in your lap.
We're going to practice some breathing exercises and this is extremely effective for anxiety and stress.
So we're going to breathe in for three seconds,
Hold for four seconds and breathe out for five seconds.
So the out breath is longer than the in breath and this really reduces the activation of your stress state and encourages your body to move into a thrive state.
Then we're going to extend that breathing as we go.
If you feel uncomfortable with the extension,
Then just carry on doing the 3-4-5.
We're going to breathe in through the nose,
Hold and then out the mouth.
This is also an incredible exercise for our lungs and to expand our lungs,
Which is very important at this time and it boosts our immune system against disease.
So let's begin.
So exhaling all the air out through the mouth and then breathe in for a count of three.
One,
Two,
Three,
Hold for four.
And breathe out for five.
Great.
Breathing in for three,
Hold for four and release for five out the mouth.
Breathing in for three,
Hold for four and release out the mouth for five.
Breathing in through the nose for three,
Hold for four and release out the mouth for five.
Breathing in for three,
Hold for four and release out the mouth for five.
Breathing in for three,
Hold for four and slowly release for five.
Then going deeper,
Breathing in for four,
Hold for seven,
Exhaling slowly for eight.
Breathing in for four through the nose,
Holding for seven and slowly out the mouth for eight.
Breathing in for four,
If you're finding a little bit light headed you can go back to normal breathing.
Hold for seven and exhaling for eight.
Breathing in for four,
Hold for seven and last one,
Exhale slowly for eight.
Fantastic.
There we go,
Normal breath.
Just observing how you're feeling now.
So this breathing exercise is just like a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system.
So taking drugs or maybe effective when you take them but they lose their power over time.
This exercise when you first try it,
It might feel like this but it gains power over time and practice.
So I suggest to do it twice a day at least.
We can also use it if anything upsets us like a trigger.
So now we're going to move straight into a very slow and calm breath.
You can close your eyes if you like and just come home to your normal way of breathing to yourself.
Resting our mind,
Practicing peace and calm which is really going to help us in the brave new world.
Feeling gratitude once again for ourselves for doing this practice.
We just respect that inner voice that encouraged us to be here.
Just settling now on the breath and just observing how you are feeling.
Gently encouraging our mind to stay focused.
Building our resilience against distraction and rumination.
This is an exercise.
Your mind may move to thoughts,
Sounds,
Sensations and that's normal.
That's what the mind does.
With meta awareness we gently encourage ourselves to come back into the moment.
In this moment everything is fine.
I am breathing.
I know that I'm breathing.
My health is the most important thing.
The future is a mystery.
It's a fiction.
There's no need for us to be time travelers.
This presence right now is where our life is happening.
Just breathe into this moment.
Being here and now.
This body,
This breath.
Just dropping your chin down slightly.
Let's breathe in slowly through the nose just once and release out the mouth.
Lifting your chin and gently opening your eyes.
Thank you for practicing with me today and for holding space.
Take care friends.
