This is Joshua Young and you are listening to Befriend the Breath.
In this part of the series,
We will be exploring the belly and how the breath resides within it.
Start by finding a space in which you are comfortable with breathing and exploring the breath.
Maybe you lie flat on the back,
Maybe you decide to lie on either side or sit straight up.
Whatever you do,
Take this time to create the most comfortable position or posture for yourself.
Using any items that you might need in order to make this posture the most comfortable for you.
Please feel free to bring them into this practice.
And when you find that you've fallen as deeply as you can into the pose,
So comfortable that you feel there will be no need to move or shift throughout the practice,
Bring the hands to the lower belly.
And from here,
Just start to breathe.
Inhaling through the nose,
Allowing the belly to rise.
Exhaling through the nose,
Allowing the belly to drop back down towards the spine.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
And just allowing the breath to be as natural as it can be.
Continue this breath in and out.
And allow the body to relax a bit more with each exhale.
Just continue breathing in and out.
Notice now where your breath is in the body.
Only take this time to notice where the breath is.
Do not be concerned with changing the breath,
Moving the breath,
Or deepening the breath.
Just breathing at this point.
And the next inhale,
Breathe in as deeply as you can,
Filling up as much space in the body as possible.
Holding it at the top and on the exhale,
Just release the breath,
Pulling the belly back towards the spine,
Allowing all of the air to escape.
Breathe in that way two more times,
In through the nose,
Filling the body up as much as you can with air.
Holding,
Pausing at the top.
And on the exhale,
Squeezing the belly back towards the spine,
Allowing all of the air to release.
On the next inhale,
Inhale as deeply as you've inhaled all day,
Holding the breath at the top.
Exhaling by pulling in the stomach towards the spine and return to normal breath.
Bring the attention to the belly.
Focus the attention right around the belly button or just below the belly button.
And with your attention focused here,
Use the breath and fill the space on the inhale.
And on the exhale,
Squeeze the belly back towards the spine.
Continue breathing in this space.
In through the nose,
Filling the belly.
The belly rising on your inhale and the belly dropping back down towards the spine on your exhale.
Take the next few moments to breathe into the belly on your own.
Remembering to breathe in through the nose,
Filling up the belly with air.
And to breathe out of the nose,
Squeezing the spine and the belly together.
Continuing to breathe in and out of the nose,
Bringing the attention to the body,
To the belly,
Noticing the quality of breath in this space.
You might notice the breath having a deeper feeling in the belly.
You might notice a deeper connection to the body,
To the earth.
Whatever you feel,
Just take this moment to notice it.
Maybe welcoming in new sensation.
Maybe welcoming in new thoughts.
Maybe welcoming in this new experience.
And just take a few more breaths here.
Allowing the newness to fill the body.
And perhaps even allowing the breath to spread further into the body.
When you're ready,
Start to bring your focus back to the belly.
When you're ready,
Start to bring the focus back to the body.
When you're ready,
Start to bring the focus back to the breath.
When you're ready,
Start to gently move the feet,
The fingers,
The hands.
Maybe rolling over onto your side and coming up into a comfortable seat.
Coming up into a comfortable seat.
Bring the palms to touch and heart center.
Taking a breath in this space.
And honoring yourself and your practice in whichever way best serves you.
It's been a pleasure breathing with you.
Thank you for showing up as you are.
