Welcome to Breathe to Calm,
A beginner's series.
I'm Viona.
Today we'll practice box breathing to reset your mind and calm your nervous system.
Box breathing is a modern practice rooted in ancient yogic tradition.
The practice is simple.
We will break down one breath into four steps.
That is inhale,
Hold,
Exhale,
And hold.
Each step will have the same count.
It is a steady rhythm to calm the mind and the body.
So let's begin.
You may find a comfortable sitting posture or you can also lie down.
Your choice of whether to close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Rest your hands on your lap or just by the side if you are lying down.
Now take one deep breath in.
Lengthen your spine.
Uplift your whole body.
And as you exhale,
Letting go through your open mouth.
Close.
Good.
One more time here.
Inhale deeply into your body.
Exhale,
Letting go.
Just take a moment here to settle in,
To arrive in this moment.
Now relax in between your eyebrows.
Relax your whole face.
Sensing your shoulders.
Relax your shoulders.
Drop your shoulder down if you're seated.
Drop it away from the ears if you're lying down.
Sensing your upper chest.
You may sense that your chest rise and fall as you breathe in and out.
Trying to slow down your breath here.
See whether you can add a count to your breath just as it is without any control.
We may practice here together for a moment.
So exhale first.
Inhale.
One.
Two.
Inhale.
Two.
Three.
Chest rise.
Two.
Three.
Exhale.
Chest falls.
Two.
Three.
Continue this count at your own pace.
Just be with your chest movement and be with your breath.
Good.
We're slowly moving down to our diaphragm and belly area.
Just sense that as you inhale,
Belly rise.
Exhale,
Belly falls.
With your next inhale,
Check your posture.
May lengthen your spine.
Inhale,
Belly rise.
Exhale,
Belly falls.
Good.
With your next inhale,
Belly rise.
Two.
Three.
Exhale.
Two.
Three.
Good.
Continue at your own pace for five deep breaths here.
Two more breaths.
Trying to add that little holding moment on top of every inhale and at the end of every exhale.
Now we will start box breathing and combined with belly breathing.
When we do belly breathing,
Just trying to be still of the other part of the body.
Belly is the only area that rise and fall as we inhale and exhale.
With box breathing,
We're adding the holding period at the end of each inhale and exhale.
One more deep breath here before we begin.
Make sure your whole body is comfortable.
Exhale first.
Belly contract.
Inhale,
Two,
Three first.
Two,
Three.
Hold it there.
Exhale.
Two,
Three.
Hold it there.
Inhale to fall.
Belly rise.
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold.
Exhale,
Slowly letting belly contract.
Three,
Four.
Hold.
Still engaging your belly area.
Engage your mula bandha,
Your core.
Three,
Four.
Hold.
Engage the belly.
Two.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Engage the belly.
Hold.
Two.
Good.
Slowly you can increase the count to five if you wish.
Five deep breath here to practice at your own pace and at your own count.
Just remember whenever your mind wanders,
It's completely normal and there's no need to self judge.
Simply be aware and come back to your practice.
The moment you are aware your attention has shifted away from the practice,
It is the moment to cultivate real awareness.
Now let's begin practice at your own pace for one minute.
Remember it's inhale,
Hold,
Exhale,
Hold.
Each for four counts or any counts as long as they are equal.
Go with a pace that you feel most comfortable.
You may continue to practice for as long as you want or you may also slowly come back to your body.
Gently wiggle your toes and fingers.
Box breathing is a beautiful technique to return to anytime you need when you need a moment to feel calm and relaxed.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
Namaste.
