Breathing Meditation For Deep Relaxation And Sleep Support

In this breathing meditation, we will use a 1:2 breath ratio, doubling the length of the exhalations to promote deep relaxation for your nervous system, to slow your thought waves, and support restorative rest or sleep. We will experiment with different paces until you find what suits you best, then you'll let go of physical, mental, and emotional tensions, and drop into deep, supported relaxation and healing.

Transcript

Today's breath practice is one of my very favorites. It's a one to two ratio breath. I call it double breath and it's the technique that I personally use every night that I have any trouble falling asleep or getting back to sleep in the middle of the night. Because when you lengthen the exhale, It slows your heart rate, It lowers your blood pressure, It can also help you to drop into slower thought wave frequencies and patterns. And so it deeply relaxes your body. The inhales are energizing and invigorating, The exhales are soothing and relaxing. So we double the count of the exhale to whatever the inhale count is to help you really relax your system completely. We'll play with different paces because we all breathe in different ways at different paces that are comfortable for us. So because this technique is so deeply relaxing, Sometimes it's best practice late at night. If you have a busy day ahead, You might not choose this breath practice to start your meditation. If your mind is very active, It will slow things down. So that would be a great use for it or, You know, At night before bed to let sit up tall or feel free to lie down for this one certainly. So let's begin. Close your eyes, Tune inward, Notice how you're feeling right now. Notice if there's internal tension. Notice how your body feels. Notice if you feel agitated in any way or calm. Just check it. And then together, Let's breathe in long and slowly through the nose. And then let go of your breath. Let yourself land here in your seat. Knowing that you're about to do something really healing for yourself. And again, A long smooth inhale. Let the breath go. Let any expectation go and just be here. Let your breath start to return to its natural pace to start. And notice that pace. Notice as well if those two cleansing breaths already started to shift your state. Very often they do. So we'll begin with a two to four ratio. We'll move to a three to six ratio. And then we'll play with a four to eight ratio. And then I'll invite you to see if you want to take it to a five ten or back off to a three six or play with the four eight. So let's begin together. Inhaling for two, One. Exhaling four, Three, Two, One. In two, One. Out four, Three, Two, One. In two, One. Out four, Three, Two, One. In two, One. Out four, Three, Two, One. In two, One. Out four, Three, Two, One. In two, One. Out four, Three, Two, One. Now in three, Two, One. Out six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. In three, Two, One. Out six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. In three, Two, One. Out six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. In three, Two, One. Out six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. In three, Two, One. Out six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Now in four, Three, Two, One. Out eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. In four, Three, Two, One. Out eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. In four, Three, Two, One. Out eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. In four, Three, Two, One. Out eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Continue on your own, Finding whichever pace suits you best. And most importantly, Relaxing on those exhales. If you're doing this practice in bed at night, Feel free to drop into even longer exhales if that's comfortable. And as you breathe out, You just sort of sink into your comfortable bed, Letting yourself get denser and heavier and more relaxed with each out breath. And the more you begin to train your breath capacity, The easier it is to do these longer exhales. So go really easy with yourself if this is your first time doing that. Take it a little shorter. Be gentle. As always, When your mind drifts away, Which it will, Gently come back to feeling the experience of these breaths. Now feel free to let go of any counting internally and just feel what feels appropriate. And just keep breathing out when you're exhaling, Letting all those final vapors of air melt away. Any nagging tension that's being held in the body or the mind slipping away, Floating away, Evaporating away. So after the exhale, The body will inhale. You don't have to take it. And just pay most attention here to the exhales, To letting go, Letting go, Letting go, Until the body's ready for the next inhale. So there's no need to count. And have the inhale be somewhat small so that the exhale can be longer, More soothing, More emptying of any tension. Let this next round be your final one. And then when you're ready, Take in a deeper breath actively and just let it go. And notice how you're feeling right now after that practice. If the thought waves feel like they've slowed down, If your body, Mind, And energy feel more settled, Relaxed, Calm, And centered. Is there still an internal agitation if there was one? It's okay if that's the case. The first time practicing these different breathing patterns can be a little activating because we're not used to it. But I promise you that with practice, They're going to be so incredibly soothing for your system. All right, When you feel ready, Reopen your eyes, Come back. Thank you so much for practice. Enjoy the rest of your day or evening. Namaste.