Hello and welcome.
My name is Elle and I'm here to guide you on a quick three-minute breath meditation that you can use at any time.
So finding a comfortable seat,
Whether you're on a chair or sitting down.
Feeling your sits bones underneath you and having your palms down on your thighs to ground.
Inhale for four.
Hold at the top for seven.
And exhale out for eight,
Making the sound of the ocean.
Inhaling in.
Hold.
And exhale out.
Inhaling in for four.
Holding that breath in for seven.
And exhaling out for eight.
Keep going like that at your own pace,
Making sure the exhale is always longer than the inhale.
This breathing is called 4-7-8 breathing.
It helps reduce anxiety.
And it helps regulate your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Any time you exhale longer than your inhale,
It helps your body get out of the fight or flight mode.
So you can do this even for a minute,
Any time you're feeling strong emotions,
Any time you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
You can also use it before bed if you can't get your mind to stop racing.
It's a very simple breath.
It's a pranayama from yoga.
It also helps increase the activity in the vagus nerve,
Which is the longest nerve in our body.
And helps our body function with our mood,
With our immunity.
And it helps put our body into rest and digest mode.
It can also lower the heart rate when you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
After you finish your last exhale,
Take one big cleansing breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And go on to enjoy the rest of your day or to get a good night's sleep.
Namaste.
