Breathing Practice: Changing Your State

This session will show you how you can change your state with only your breath. It will leave you feeling calm and euphoric but during the process, you might feel periods of anxiety and stress. The breath is powerful and you will find out how when you try this out.

Transcript

What we're going to do today is go through a 15 minute guided breath practice to show you how the breath can change your physiological state.

I want you to focus on inhaling deep into your belly and contracting your core on the exhales.

Most of this will be done through the nose unless I say otherwise.

You will experience a variety of sensations from tingling,

Calmness,

Euphoria,

You might get a little stressed and anxious.

It's all natural.

We're going to be doing some long breath holds and rapid inhales and exhales.

If you ever feel out of control or lost or you don't really like the sensations,

I want you to just return to normal breathing and jump back in when you can.

Now you can either do this lying down or seated,

Whatever you feel comfortable with.

I'd like you to close your eyes and put one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest.

I want you to slowly inhale in through your nose,

Slowly exhale out through your nose.

When you're doing this,

Focus on squeezing the back of your throat,

Kind of like you're fogging up a mirror but with your mouth closed.

So this is what we call the ocean breath.

You make a sound with it.

Slowly inhale,

Slowly exhale.

Kind of breathe into that hand on the belly first.

See if you can fill up from the bottom up,

Down into your belly button,

Up your abs,

Your ribs,

And finally into your chest.

And on your exhales,

Exhaling out of your chest,

Your ribs,

Your abs,

Down into your belly button.

Slowly inhale,

Slowly exhale.

I'd like you to exhale out all your air and follow along with me.

I want you to inhale for three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale three,

Two,

One.

Inhale three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale three,

Two,

One.

Inhale three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale three,

Two,

One.

Inhale three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Inhale three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale three,

Two,

One.

Inhale,

Hold,

Exhale.

Inhale,

Hold,

Exhale.

Inhale for five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale for five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Inhale five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale two,

One,

Hold.

Inhale two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Inhale two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale hold.

I want you to slowly inhale in through your nose,

Slowly exhale through your nose.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Inhale.

I want you to feel all the way up.

Keep inhaling.

I want you to get the top sucking a little bit more and hold it.

Slowly feel your ribs expanded like you have a balloon in your chest.

Keep holding it.

Try to relax.

Relax your neck and shoulders.

Feel your ribs expanded.

Slowly exhale out of your mouth as slow as you can,

Piercing your lips together like you're breathing through a straw.

Take a couple of inhales and exhales on your own and through the nose,

Out through the nose.

What we're going to do here is called power breathing.

We're going to take a big deep inhale through the mouth and a sharp exhale.

Really using your diaphragm as a pump,

Pump your belly button,

Think of your belly button pumping the air in and out,

Kind of like a bellow with a fire.

Big sharp inhale,

Quick exhale.

Keep going,

Just a little bit more.

Give me one more big inhale and exhale out all your air and hold it.

Just relax.

Let go of all the tension in your body.

Keep holding.

We're almost there.

Take an inhale and hold it.

And slowly exhale out of your mouth like you're breathing through a straw.

Inhale for six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Slowly in exhaling for a count of seven,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Inhale three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale three,

Two,

One.

Inhale two,

One,

Hold.

Exhale three,

Two,

One.

Inhale,

Hold.

And slowly exhaling out all your air.

Take a couple of inhales,

Exhales on your own.

Next we're going to be doing,

It's called super ventilation breathing.

You can take big deep inhales,

Inhaling through the mouth,

Letting the exhales fall out.

Big deep inhale into your mouth.

Inhale,

Inhale,

Exhale.

Inhale,

Exhale,

Inhale,

Exhale.

Big,

Deep inhale,

Inhaling through the mouth,

Letting the exhales fall out.

Inhaling through the mouth,

Letting the exhales fall out.

Big,

Deep inhale,

Exhale.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Really focus on driving those inhales deep into your belly.

Trying to get as much oxygen as you can.

Just a few more breaths.

Give me one big inhale,

Exhale,

And hold.

Just relax.

You have plenty of oxygen.

Keep holding.

Let go of all the tension from the top of your head down to the soles of your feet.

Keep holding.

We're almost there.

Stay with me.

Give me an inhale and hold.

And exhale.

Right in another round of that big deep inhale as inhaling through the mouth.

Exhale through the mouth.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Keep going.

Do this on your own.

Just find your own rhythm.

Find your pace.

Big deep inhales,

Inhaling through the mouth,

Exhaling through the mouth.

Inhale through your belly,

Your chest,

Your head,

Letting go.

Inhale with your belly,

Chest,

Your head,

Letting go.

To the belly,

The chest,

The head,

Letting go.

Big deep inhales,

Inhaling through the mouth,

Exhaling through the mouth.

Just a couple more.

We're almost there.

Give me one more big inhale,

Exhale,

And hold.

Just let all your tension melt away from the day.

Relaxing your shoulders,

Your neck.

Probably very tingly right now.

Some of you might be a little stressed.

It's all okay.

Keep holding.

Focus your attention to that spot in the center of your forehead.

Might see some colors,

Shapes bouncing around.

It's all normal.

Keep holding.

If you ever need to breathe,

You can take a small sip of air.

Keep holding.

We're almost there.

Stay with me.

Stay with me.

Just a little bit longer.

You can do it.

I know your brain's telling you to breathe,

But you have plenty of oxygen.

Take an inhale and hold.

Exhale.

I want you to slowly inhale through your nose.

Hold it.

I want you to hiss out your exhale very slowly.

Slowly inhaling in through your nose.

Hold.

Slowly hiss out that exhale.

Inhale.

Hold.

Slowly hiss out that exhale.

I want you to just inhale on your own.

Exhale on your own.

Focus on inhaling for three to four seconds.

Exhale for six to eight.

Just make sure you double your exhale to your inhale.

Count out your breaths.

Inhaling.

Exhaling.

Thank you for joining me today on this journey.

You can open your eyes whenever you like or just keep following your breath.

Thank you.

Reviews

My wife & I have been doing Taylor’s meditations for over a year. They are our go to & have been transformative for us both mentally & physically. We love this guy.

Wow. I’ve been listened to the breath of fire track by Taylor on and off for a couple of months now. Today I thought I’d try a new one. This track was even better. It’s fascinating how the breath has such an impact.

Energising breathwork session, loved it. I almost made the last breath hold - I'll keep trying until I get it 😁 thanks Taylor.

I enjoyed the variety of breathwork. Couldn’t quite do all the breath holds, but no matter - I felt great afterwards!

Really enjoyed that, thank you. Feel calmer and full of slightly more positive energy than I did when I started. I think it’s the fact I had to really focus on my breathing which stopped me from worrying for just a while. So thanks for that! Will be doing this again for sure.

Amazing! Love the pace and variety.
Thank you! ✨🙏🏼✨

Simple direct approach. Loved it. Will continue with this particular breathwork for a while..

I love Taylor Sommerville and his straightforward approach! One question I have for you Taylor, I often do these while walking, which definitely seems to limit my ability to hold my breath! I'm wondering if you see any downside to my unorthodox approach.

Thank you so much! I love this and it is making me feel so good. I had been unwell and with low oxygen and this is definitely helping me, each day I feel fitter. Love this practice & will continue with it. 💚
😊

That was awesome and exhilarating - thank you 🌿

AMAZING, energizing, rejuvenating! As always, thank you!! 🙏

loving these practices. I feel so alive afterwards. thank you

Love your work Taylor!

All of these practices are great. I appreciate the different lengths for those times I only have a few minutes to spare. This refreshed me before going to work.

Reminded me of Wim Hoff breathing technique. Good 👍

This was great. Very different than the meditations that I usually do, but focusing on the breath certainly got me out of my head and into my body and feeling connected and present to start my day. Thank you 🙏

I am grateful for this breath work. Namaste

This was tough at times but I'm glad to have stuck with it.

Wonderful! Thank you!

A great way to wake up. Thank you.