Triangle Breath - 15 Minutes

In this 15-minute practice, you'll be asked to follow your breathing. You'll be invited to inhale for five, hold for five, and exhale for five, with each part of the breath representing the equal sides of a triangle. Breathing in this way can help you move from 'fight or flight' to 'rest and digest' parasympathetic nervous system arousal, where you're more likely to feel calm and peace. Adjust the counts as you see fit to ensure your comfort. Stop if you feel discomfort, dizziness, or shortness of breath.

Transcript

Okay, Welcome. In this session we'll be doing a practice called triangle breath and what we'll be doing Is inhaling for a count of five, Holding for a count of five, And then exhaling for a count Of five. You can almost imagine that each side of the triangle is the inhale, The hold, And the Exhale, Which is why it's called triangle breath. Breathing in this way is a useful tool to downregulate the nervous system by controlling The breath and by having the breath hold. You'll start to slow down the heart rate and move your way from the fight or flight mode And into the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the rest and digest mode where we can feel more peaceful and more calm. Okay, So when you're ready, Making sure that you're sat comfortably, Ideally with a straight Back with a relaxed but alert posture, Closing the eyes, And beginning by taking a few nice And big in-breaths through the nose and releasing through the mouth. Breathing in, Letting go, Filling the lungs, Releasing, Final one, Letting go, And then Allowing the breath to return to normal, Closing the mouth and breathing through the Nostrils for the remainder of the session. Take a moment to check in with the state of the mind right now. Is there a sense of busyness or distractedness in the mind, A sense of agitation? This is often the case for most of us. Approaching the mind with a sense of kindness and curiosity, It's like, Okay, This is how The mind feels right now and that's perfectly fine for the purposes of today. Getting a sense of being grounded, Becoming aware of the points of connection between The feet and the floor and your legs and the chair or the floor that you might be sitting On. And then we'll spend the next minute or so listening out for any sounds that might be Occurring right now. We're not listening out for any special sounds. We're not only allowing pleasant sounds through, Just allow hearing to unfold exactly as it Wants to. An absence of sound is fine or distracting sounds are equally fine to notice. And then I'd invite you to drop the focus on hearing and begin to start connecting with The breath wherever you feel it most clearly right now. So this could be at the chest area or at the belly or at the nose, Doesn't matter which You choose, Just go with the one that feels most natural for you today. As you notice the breath in as much detail as you can, I'd invite you to start gently And gradually controlling the breath, Working towards a situation where you're inhaling For a count of five, Holding the breath for a count of five, Exhaling for a count of five And then repeating. Inhale 2, 3, 4, 5, Hold 2, 3, 4, 5, Exhale 2, 3, 4, 5. If the counts of five are a bit too much for you and you're feeling short of breath in Any way, You can adjust these to suit yourself. You could count 4, 4 if you find it easier as you continue with the triangle breaths. But equally if you're settling into the session and you feel like you can extend the counts To 6 or even 7, Then you're totally welcome to. Just go with the option that feels right for you in this practice. As always, Try not to get upset or frustrated if the mind wanders off. This is what the mind does and it will always be a part of meditation practice, So there's Nothing to worry about. So just gently revert the attention back to the breath and continuing with the triangle Breathing exercise. Inhale 2, 3, 4, 5, Hold 2, 3, 4, 5, Exhale 2, 3, 4, 5. For some people they find at the start of this practice that the breathing pattern seems A bit forced and a bit unnatural, But usually what tends to happen as the session progresses Is that the triangle breaths become a bit more natural, You get into a bit more of a Flow with them and often a sense of subtle peace and calm might arise. I just invite you to enjoy any feelings of stillness that do appear for you, Just being Pleased that you've given yourself the time to practice today. And then when you feel ready to, Letting go of the triangle breaths, Dropping the focus On your breathing altogether and just doing absolutely nothing for a moment or two. If the mind wants to think, You can let it think, Becoming aware of any sounds or smells That might be present in the room right now. And finally checking in with the mind once again, How does your mind feel now compared To how it felt earlier? For some of you, You might notice there's a subtle change, For others maybe the mind Feels largely the same. Both options are fine, So just notice what's happening for you. When you feel ready, Opening your eyes, Stretching out and waking up the body in any way that Feels right for you and congratulating yourself for practicing today and for turning up. Hopefully you enjoyed that session, Maybe there were moments where you got into a nice Flow and felt a bit calmer as you breathed in this way. For others, Even if the mind was still busy, Just know that the simple fact of taking the Time for yourself, The simple fact of doing this practice will still have positive impacts In the coming hours of your day. Have a great day.