Controlled Breathing Practice

Hello beautiful radiant being.

Before we begin this practice I want you to please bring your kind awareness to how your belly,

Chest and head feel right now.

Stress and anxiety can have us holding or inhibiting the breath in less than beneficial ways.

And while the breath always knows just what to do,

We can deliberately guide it for short periods of time to deepen its potential to nourish us.

And that is what we're going to do today.

This exercise involves a simple controlled breathing practice.

The pattern is 4-1-4-1.

That means inhaling for 4 seconds,

Holding for 1,

Exhaling for 4 and holding for 1.

As you move through this practice,

Please honor the needs of your body if it becomes uncomfortable for you in any way.

If you feel dizzy or lightheaded while practicing any breathing technique,

Stop the practice.

If you have never practiced controlled breathing exercises before,

Start with short sessions of 1-2 minutes,

Like we're doing now,

And lengthening your practice if you feel called to overtime.

Let's begin.

Begin by sitting or lying down on your back and place both hands on your belly to help guide the breath into this part of the body.

We are now going to take 5 normal breaths.

So let's begin.

Inhale.

1,

2,

3,

4.

Hold at the top for 1 second.

And exhale.

1,

2,

3,

4.

Hold at the bottom for 1 second.

And inhale for 1,

2,

3,

4.

Hold at the top for 1 second.

And exhale for 1,

2,

3,

4.

Hold at the bottom for 1 second.

And inhale for 1,

2,

3,

4.

Hold at the bottom for 1 second.

And exhale for 1,

2,

3,

4.

Hold at the bottom for 1 second.

And inhale for 1,

2,

3,

4.

Hold at the bottom for 1 second.

And exhale for 1,

2,

3,

4.

You can now come back to the natural rhythm of the breath.

Notice how the mind and body may have shifted during this practice.

And when you're ready,

If your eyes are closed,

You can now open them and return to the outside world.

You can breathe in this controlled way for 3 to 5 minutes or for as long as it's comfortable to you.

Depending on your present moment needs,

That could be 1 minute or it could be 10.

Again,

Honor the needs of your body.

May peace be with you.