Welcome to this guided pranayama breathing session designed to help you find peace and calm the overthinking mind.
My name is Dan and I'll guide you through this session today.
We'll do three rounds of alternate nostril breathing followed by a slow soothing diaphragmatic breathing practice.
Together these two techniques will balance your nervous system and bring clarity to your thoughts.
Find a comfortable position either seated or lying down.
If you're seated,
Let your spine be long and shoulders relaxed.
Close your eyes if that feels good to you or soften your gaze.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and slowly let it out through your mouth.
Let's begin.
Before we start the alternate nostril breathing,
Let's take a moment to ground ourselves.
Bring one hand to your belly and take a deep inhale,
Feeling your belly rise.
Exhale slowly,
Letting your belly soften.
Take a few breaths like this to center your awareness in your body.
Now we'll begin alternate nostril breathing,
A technique to bring balance and calm to the mind.
For this,
Use your thumb to close off your right nostril and your ring finger to close off your left nostril.
Let's start.
Close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril slowly.
Close off your left nostril with your ring finger.
Release your thumb and exhale through your right nostril.
Inhale through your right nostril.
Close your right nostril and exhale through your left nostril.
This is one full cycle.
Let's continue together,
Keeping your inhales and exhales smooth and equal.
I'll guide you through the first few breaths,
Then allow you to move at your own pace.
Stay with this rhythm.
If your mind begins to wander,
Gently bring your attention back to the flow of your breath.
Great job.
Release your hand and let your breathing return to its normal,
Natural rhythm.
Take a moment to notice how your body feels and how your mind feels.
Maybe there's a sense of stillness or clarity beginning to emerge.
When you're ready,
We'll begin the second round.
Let's return to alternate nostril breathing for our second round.
Remember to move at your own pace,
Keeping your breath smooth and steady.
And now,
Take a moment to pause and notice how the practice is settling in your mind.
You've activated a new awareness and spaciousness.
When you're ready,
Let's begin our final round.
And I want you to imagine your breath cleansing your thoughts like a gentle breeze.
Great job.
Release your hand.
Now we'll move into diaphragmatic breathing,
A practice to deepen relaxation.
Bring one hand to your belly and let your breath flow naturally in and out through your nose.
Feel your belly rise with each inhale and soften with each exhale.
Let your breath be soft,
Smooth,
And unforced.
With each exhale,
Imagine releasing any remaining tension or overthinking.
Allow yourself to fully relax.
And now,
Take one more deep breath in and let it out slowly.
When you're ready,
Gently bring your awareness back to the room.
Wiggle your fingers,
Your toes,
Your wrists,
And if your eyes are closed,
Slowly open them.
Thank yourself for taking this time to nurture your peace of mind.
Carry the sense of calm with you into your day.
If you enjoyed this session,
I invite you to revisit it anytime your thoughts feel overwhelming.
Thank you for joining me.
Have a peaceful day.
