Tracing And Breathing To Settle The Mind

This quiet practice combines breath and touch to support moments of overstimulation or racing thoughts. You’ll trace your fingers slowly while matching your breath to the movement — a simple rhythm that soothes the mind and settles the body. This gentle reset can be done anywhere, anytime, with just your hands and a few minutes.

Transcript

Welcome.

I'm Tanya,

And I'm glad you're here.

This is a very simple practice.

We're going to be doing finger tracing and breath.

This helps us when our thoughts are racing or we're feeling overwhelmed.

When we're overstimulated,

It can make it really hard to come back to ourselves,

And this practice offers us just one clear thing to focus on,

The movement of our finger and our breath moving with it.

It's a soft rhythm,

A kind of self-regulation tool that's easy to carry with you anywhere.

All you need is your hand to trace and the other to do the tracing.

You can sit,

Stand,

Or lie down,

Whatever works.

You can do this at your desk,

At work,

Anytime you feel called to it.

Let's begin.

Bring one hand in front of you,

Palm open,

Fingers spread gently apart.

Use the index finger of your opposite hand to begin tracing around it,

Like you're outlining a mountain range.

We'll go slowly.

We'll begin by tracing up the outside of your thumb,

Taking a breath in,

And as you trace down the other side,

Breathe out.

Now,

To your index finger,

Inhale as you trace up and exhale as you trace down.

Middle finger,

Inhale and exhale.

Ring finger,

Inhale,

Exhale.

Pinky finger,

Inhale and exhale.

Pause here.

Notice your breath.

Notice how your body feels.

And let's do one more round together.

This time,

Maybe a little bit slower.

Beginning with our thumb,

Inhale up,

Exhale down.

Index finger,

Inhale up,

Exhale down.

Middle finger,

Inhale up,

Exhale down.

Ring finger,

Inhale up,

Exhale down.

And pinky finger,

Inhale up,

Exhale down.

Let your hands rest.

Drop them in your lap or by your sides.

Let your breath find its own rhythm now.

No need to guide it.

Just sit here for a moment with me.

Allow yourself to find a quiet space within you using this simple pattern,

Remembering it's always available to you.

You've just given your nervous system something clear,

Steady,

And kind to hold onto.

You're welcome to come back to this any time.

Repeat it as often as you like,

Especially when things start to feel a little bit overwhelming or busy.

This is a great practice to return to.

Take what you need and leave the rest.

Thanks for practicing with me and I'll meet you back here whenever you need.

Reviews

Now this has surely been a magic trick! I went straight from high level brainfog and overwhelm to a much clearer state and a better sense of the direction i need to go ito the next thing. Thank you!

This is a simple yet powerful exercise. After the first trace, I noticed how tense my opened hand was and relaxed it and myself for the second trace. This exercise broke the intrusive thought that was bothering me today. I’ll come back to this often.
Thank you 💖🙏