This practice can be done either lying down on your back in Shavasana or preferably in a seated position with your hips elevated higher than your knees by a blanket or cushion or even seated in a chair allowing the spine to be long.
Take your time to set up your space and then closing down the eyes if that's comfortable for you sensing all four corners of the eyes relaxed.
And to settle in even deeper working with a bit of tension and release.
On your next inhale squeeze your shoulders up towards your ears squeeze exhale and release them.
Two more inhale squeeze the shoulders up by the ears exhale relax.
Last one inhale tense and squeeze exhale and let go and settle into your chosen shape.
Feel yourself becoming more and more relaxed sensing yourself supported by the ground beneath you.
Feel safe to let go here.
Feel the spine elongated but without strain.
Ensure that the facial muscles are relaxed,
Forehead tensionless and notice if there are any spaces of tension within the body.
See if you can release them here and now.
And then begin to just notice the breath as you breathe through your nostrils.
Notice the quality of the breath,
The rhythm,
Even the temperature of the air flowing in and out of the nostrils.
Become aware if you're breathing into the chest.
If so move the breath into the belly noticing the navel gently rise on your inhale and fall back towards the spine on your exhale.
Move towards lengthening the breath but without force.
Simply draw out the length of your inhales and exhales for a few cycles without forcing it.
Sense that with each cycle of breath your breath in and your breath out grow longer.
And now working with the count.
First taking a cleansing breath together softly inhaling filling up the belly like a balloon.
Exhaling the navel draws back towards the spine.
Empty out completely and now with the count.
Inhale for four,
Three,
Two,
And one.
Gently exhale for four,
Three,
Two,
And one.
Another round.
Inhale for four.
Exhale for four.
One more round on your own.
And if you're feeling comfortable then we'll move into Samavritti,
Equal rotation.
And we'll add some retentions and suspensions of the breath to expand and ground.
Cleansing breath all together.
Inhaling gently filling up the belly.
Exhale release.
Samavritti inhaling for four,
Three,
Two,
And one.
Retain four,
Three,
Two,
And one.
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
And one.
Suspend four,
Three,
Two,
And one.
Again inhale for four.
Retain for four.
Exhale for four.
Suspend for four.
Continue inhaling for four,
Sensing expansiveness.
Retain for four,
Mind resting in the invigoration.
Exhale for four with a sense of release and suspend for four,
Mind resting in the groundedness.
Continue on your own and if you feel this is too straining for the breath,
Reduce the count to three or to as much as feels comfortable.
As you continue on your own,
Let the body and the breath feel expansive and invigorating on your inhales and retentions and sensing the release and groundedness in your exhales and suspensions.
Let the mind become absorbed in the sensations of the breath.
Let the mind become absorbed in the technique,
Following this box that you create with the breath,
A simple shape for the mind to come back to.
And anytime the mind wanders,
Just simply bring it back to the breath and the steadiness of the counting.
You you Completing one more final round.
See if you can make the count a bit slower for the last one.
You And then let go of the technique.
Come back to normal,
Effortless breathing.
And just notice,
Notice the effects of the technique on the body,
Breath and mind.
You You sense yourself equally expanded and grounded with life force,
With the breath.
Notice the mind stiller now than at the beginning of the practice.
Rest here for a few moments,
Watching the navel rise and fall,
Just being a witness to the experience.
And now taking a big breath,
Filling all the way up.
And then emptying out completely on your exhale,
Navel all the way back towards the spine.
One more,
Just like that.
Inhaling,
Filling all the way up.
Big breath in.
Exhale,
Empty out completely.
Release.
When you feel ready,
Begin to slowly flutter open the eyes and come back to the space you're in.
Take the sense of presence you've created with the breath into your day.
