Using Gratitude Breathing To Calm A Nervous Mind

In this session we practice 'Gratitude Breathing', followed by 10 minutes of silence.

Begin by taking slow deep and sighing breaths. Relax the muscles in the body. Drop the shoulders, release the belly, unclench the jaw. Bring to mind (and body) the image of a person, pet, or plant you are grateful for and allow the positive thoughts to manifest.

Gratitude is an antidote to anxiety, resentment, craving, anger, and jealously. This practice works well as a daily practice, but also as a response to anxiety. By slowing down the breath and relaxing the body, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system - the revers of 'fight or flight'. We add to this calming with the cognitive intervention of gratitude. When combined we begin to return to a state of calm peace.

Transcript

I invite you to take a seat or lie down and get yourself comfortable, You can close down the eyes if you wish and just begin by taking some slow deep breaths, Taking some slow deep sighing breaths. Today we're going to practice something called gratitude breathing and it begins with that slow deep sighing breath, You can do it audibly as I am or just internally, As you take those slow deep sighing breaths, Let's begin actively releasing the muscles, This practice, A gratitude breath practice begins by a slow deep sighing breath, So continue to take those slow deep sighing breaths but also begin just releasing the muscles in the body dropping tension from the shoulders and clenching the jaw, Relaxing the belly, Releasing any and all tensions in the body taking a long slow deep sighing breath and just releasing tension, So with each breath we're doing a long slow deep sighing breath, We're releasing tensions in the body, We're also going to add some gratitude, This practice is relaxing the body, Slow breath, Active relaxation but we're also impacting our mind cognitively, Bring to mind a person, Pet or plant that you find is easy to offer gratitude towards, Person, Pet or plant you are grateful for to have in your life, Bring that person to mind, To heart perhaps, And just think about all of the reasons why you are grateful that they are in your life, Other thoughts may come up, Distractions, That's okay, Just release them with your next breath, A long slow deep sighing breath, Actively releasing the muscles and bringing to mind those feelings of gratitude this practice of gratitude breathing can be performed as a daily practice but it's particularly useful in response to overwhelm, To anxiety, When you realize that feeling a little bit dysregulated, Take yourself somewhere calm, Take a break, Begin taking some slow deep sighing breaths, Slowing down the breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system, If your body is breathing slowly your mind goes huh, We must be safe, You add to this by relaxing the muscles, Unclenching the jaw, Dropping the shoulders, Releasing the belly, Letting go of tension from the legs, Relaxing actively the muscles in the body helps further activate the parasympathetic nervous system, Releasing the hormones and internal chemicals and other bodily systems that further help you to calm, Impact the body, Can also impact the mind, Gratitude is a great counter to overwhelm, You bring to mind a person pet or plant you were grateful for, It begins to evoke positive feelings, Emotions, Combined with the slowing of the breath and the relaxation of the body, Your internal moods begin to shift, Let's try it again now, Taking another slow deep sighing breath, Relaxing the muscles in the body, Releasing any held physical tension and bringing to mind something that is deeply, Truly grateful for, So just taking a moment to check in, If you like you can continue the gratitude breathing, Just check into your body, Check into your mind and feel the subtle shifts, This practice is available to you at any time, Slow calm sighing breath, Actively relaxing the muscles and evoking a sense of gratitude, So thank you for joining me and I hope to see you again, If you like we can for 10 minutes, You can practice more gratitude breathing, You can sit in silence being in the moment, Or doing whatever practice of your own you feel called to do, Let's begin, So if you'd like to maintain the meditation you're more than welcome to do so, But for everyone else I invite you to return back to the session, Back to your body, Back to your day, In this session we looked at the practice of gratitude breathing, Taking some long slow deep sighing breaths, Actively relaxing the muscles in the body, Clenching the jaw, Dropping the shoulders, Releasing the belly, Whilst also actively bringing to mind a person, Pet or plant we feel gratitude towards, This practice can be performed at any time and if it's not socially appropriate to do a sighing external breath, Just a deep internal sigh can suffice, But the body and the mind working together, Actively taking these steps can help to calm down, Particularly when feeling overwhelmed or anxious, So I encourage you to bring that practice into your day and I want to thank you for joining me, I'll see you in the next one.