Hi,
Frankie here,
Welcome to Nervous System Regulation number 17,
Breathing Practices.
This class is designed to be practical,
Embodied,
Soothing and usable in moments of overwhelm,
While still flowing as a complete meditation track.
First,
Let's talk about this practice.
This practice is here to support your nervous system.
Not by forcing calm,
Not by fixing thoughts,
But by gently working with the body where regulation actually lives.
We all share the same basic setup,
A nervous system shaped by early experiences,
A brain that is designed to keep us safe,
And a natural negative bias that remembers threat more easily than ease.
Your nervous system remembers everything,
It stores experiences as evidence,
And uses the past to predict the future,
So if you ever noticed catastrophic thinking,
A sense of panic,
Or a feeling that you just can't quite settle,
Nothing has gone wrong,
This is simply your nervous system doing its job,
Using old information in a new moment.
In this practice,
We won't argue with the mind,
We will work directly with the body,
With breath,
Sensation,
And simple cues for safety,
So your nervous system can feel,
Not think,
And know that right now you are ok.
Begin by finding a comfortable position,
Seated or lying down,
Let your body be supported,
There is nothing you need to hold up,
Nothing you need to manage in this moment.
When you are ready,
Gently close your eyes,
Or soften your gaze,
Take a slow breath in through the nose,
And exhale gently through the mouth,
Again,
Slow breath in through the nose,
And exhale gently through the mouth,
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
As you keep breathing,
Let your awareness drop out of the thinking mind,
And into the body itself.
Bring your attention to the forehead and brow,
This is a place where tension commonly gathers.
Notice your forehead,
The space between your eyebrows.
If there is anything holding here,
Gently lift the eyebrows,
And then let them soften.
You may even lightly tap on your forehead with two fingers.
Just gently tapping,
Feeling the sensation,
Listening to the soft sounds around.
Let your attention rest in the tapping,
Not in your thoughts.
Now notice your jaw,
Many of us clench without realising.
Gently move the lower jaw side to side,
Loosening the hinges.
Allow a small space between the upper and lower teeth,
No clenching needed.
As your awareness moves now to your shoulders,
Lift them up to your ears,
Take a breath in,
And let them drop gently as you exhale.
Allow the muscles between the shoulder blades soften.
Your awareness now moving to your chest,
Notice any tightness,
Heaviness,
Or emotional holding.
You might gently tighten the chest for a moment,
And then release.
Now bring your awareness into the belly,
Allow the belly to soften,
Let it be relaxed,
Not pulled in,
Not held.
As you breathe in,
Feel the belly gently rise.
As you breathe out,
Feel it soften and fall,
Again,
Feel the belly gently rise,
And as you breathe out,
It softens and falls.
This smooth diaphragmic breathing is one of the clearest signals of safety your nervous system understands.
If you ever notice shallow breathing,
Or holding your breath without realising,
This can be part of a freeze response.
Freeze happens when the nervous system perceives threats,
And tries to become very still,
Sometimes it's almost invisible.
Today,
We gently remind the body that it no longer needs to freeze.
We'll now move into a simple,
Powerful practice to interrupt panic or overwhelm,
This is called box breathing.
We'll breathe in four equal parts,
Take a deep breath in,
And exhale fully.
Now we will begin,
Inhale for 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
One more round,
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4.
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
Bring your awareness into your body.
Notice your nervous system,
Even a minute of this practice can create a shift.
Now let's look at long exhale for deep relaxation.
In this practice,
We'll emphasize the exhale,
The part of the breath that activates relaxation.
So take a deep breath in,
As you exhale,
Gently sound,
Ahhh.
Let the sound be smooth,
Relax your throat,
Your chest,
Your belly.
Let's do this a few times now.
Inhale deeply,
Exhale,
Ahhh.
Inhale,
Keeping with this breath,
Gently open your eyes,
Inhale,
Let them move slowly around the room.
Inhale,
Looking for cues of safety,
Familiar shapes,
Inhale,
Soft,
Light,
Stable objects.
Inhale,
Turn your head slightly,
Looking to one side,
Then behind you,
Inhale,
Looking up,
Ahhh,
Inhale,
Looking down,
Ahhh,
Inhale,
And back to the center,
Ahhh,
Inhale,
Let your eyes directly take in,
Inhale,
That you are safe right now,
Inhale,
Releasing the breath,
Closing your eyes again.
Now let's do 5,
4,
3,
2,
1 grounding practice.
If you're feeling overwhelmed,
This practice can always bring you back quickly.
Open your eyes again,
Begin by naming 5 things you can see,
Now notice 4 things you can touch,
Actually touch them,
Now 3 things you can hear,
Name them,
2 things you can smell,
Or your favorite 2 smells you remember,
And now 1 thing you can taste,
Or a taste that you enjoy.
Pause,
Closing your eyes,
Bring your awareness to your breath,
Now notice your body,
This practice works because it speaks directly to the nervous system through the senses,
Now bring one hand to the other,
Hold your own hand,
Feel the warmth,
Feel the gentle pressure,
Now place one hand on your heart,
And the other on your shoulder,
You may even give yourself a gentle hug now,
Breathe,
Soften the belly,
This is something you can do anywhere,
In meetings,
In public,
Wherever you need support,
Take a final gentle breath in,
Notice your felt sense of safety,
Now notice that you did not force calm,
Notice what has shifted within,
These practices are tools,
You can return to them anytime,
Each time you do,
You are teaching your nervous system that safety is possible in the present moment,
Let the breath continue naturally now,
When you feel ready,
Slowly open your eyes,
And return to your day,
With a little more space,
A little more ease,
And a nervous system that knows how to come home,
And remember you can always do this practice again and again,
To embed this into your body and mind,
Blessings on your journey dear soul,
Namaste.
