Hello,
My name is Verity and I'm here to support you to create a more tranquil and clear mind by tapping into your body's inbuilt wisdom today through your breath.
So let's just take the first moment to ground ourselves.
Find somewhere relatively comfortable that you might be able to settle.
Ideally you're lying down or seated in a way that creates space in your abdomen and chest and keeps your neck and throat feeling neutral and uninhibited.
Just take a moment to wiggle,
Tilt or adjust any part of your body that would allow you to feel just five percent more comfortable.
Offer this as a gesture of kindness to yourself right now.
And then begin to notice the parts of your body that are in connection with the surface or any supports below you.
Where in your body can you feel a gentle pressure?
Is the surface firm or soft?
Do you notice a warmth or coolness in the surface below you?
Now can you start to notice the state of your mind and body?
Remember that there is no need to judge anything as being right or wrong or good or bad.
However you have arrived here today is appropriate and welcome.
Perhaps you start to feel the rhythm of your breath flowing in and out of your body at its natural pace.
No need to adjust it,
No need to change it,
Just being with it.
Our breath is such a critical part of how our mind,
Body and soul either feel connected and aligned or disconnected.
Sometimes our mind is racing while our body is exhausted and burnt out.
Other times our mind is sluggish or foggy whilst our body is agitated and charged.
You may resonate with some of these descriptions right now in your body or mind,
Or perhaps you feel some other combination of experiences within yourself today.
Whatever is present,
Acknowledge it as completely valid and take this moment to set an intention of honouring your own experience with compassion and non-judgment.
Now to start,
Let's take a few slow steady breaths.
Firstly just take it in through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
Again in through the nose,
Feel your stomach expand,
Out through the mouth,
Let it out.
Out through the mouth,
Let it go.
In through the nose,
Stomach expands,
Out through the mouth,
Soften your body.
Now letting the breath draw in and out through the nose,
Just so that you can start tapping into that full capacity of your breath and your lungs.
We're going to be coming into a breathing practice shortly that involves lengthening our exhalation.
And the reason our breath is important can be described by this notion that our body talks body language.
It doesn't understand logic that we create in our mind.
This means when we are in a stressful situation,
If our body's stress response is activated,
Then it won't necessarily just go away when that event or situation has passed.
Our body doesn't understand that the stressor is no longer present.
So when we focus on lengthening the exhale,
This allows our body to know that in this moment we are safe.
We can access our parasympathetic nervous system response,
Otherwise known as our rest and digest or relaxation state.
So whilst this technique we're going to use is very simple,
Like all breathing practices,
It isn't for everyone.
So give it a try,
But again refrain from judging yourself if it just isn't for you today.
I'll start by guiding you with a count of two on the inhalation and a count of four on the exhalation.
After a few rounds,
I'll let you continue at your own pace.
You can either continue counting in your head or simply get a sense of exhaling longer than the inhale.
This isn't about being perfect,
Even extending the exhale a little is going to give you a benefit.
So let's just release,
Let's exhale the breath completely.
Breathe in two,
Out two,
Three,
Four.
In two,
Out two,
Three,
Four.
In two,
Out two,
Three,
Four.
In two,
Out two,
Three,
Four.
In two,
Out two,
Three,
Four.
In two,
Out two,
Three,
Four.
Continue at your own pace.
Two more rounds in your own time.
No rush at all.
After you're finishing those last rounds of the practice,
You can settle back to your natural breath.
Notice how you feel.
Allow yourself a moment of gratitude here just to acknowledge your efforts in completing this practice today.
Be gentle with yourself as you do come out of the practice.
Thank you for joining me.
