Welcome to this diaphragmatic breathing practice.
This gentle technique reconnects you with your natural,
Functional breath,
Calming the nervous system and supporting digestion,
Focus,
And emotional ease.
It is also the foundation of all pranayama and breathwork practices,
The simple pattern that everything builds upon.
Let's begin.
Finding a comfortable seat,
Whatever that means for you,
Whether you're sitting in a chair or lying down on your back,
Allowing your eyes to softly close,
Or if it's more comfortable,
Finding a soft eye gaze,
Glancing right past the tip of your nose,
Noticing that which is supporting you,
Whether it's the chair or the earth beneath you,
Softening the spaces around your eyes,
Softening your jaw,
The sides of your neck,
Your shoulders,
Softening through the hips,
Knees,
Ankles,
And toes,
Elongating your spine,
Noticing the natural curvature,
And then bringing your awareness to your breath,
Just as it is in this moment,
Without the need to change or control it yet.
What is the quality of your breath?
Is it fast or slow?
Heavy or light?
Are you breathing easily?
If you had to describe the quality of your breath to someone,
What would you say?
And when you feel ready,
Gently sealing your lips,
Breathing in and out through your nose,
And then placing your hands on your low ribs so that your middle fingers touch in the center,
Just the tips of your middle fingers.
On your next breath in,
Trace your breath all the way down into the low ribs,
And notice that the middle fingers draw away from each other as the ribcage expands.
And as you breathe out,
The ribcage softens and the middle fingers draw back in towards center.
Doing this again,
Breathing in through the nose,
Noticing the soft lateral flare of the low ribcage.
And as you breathe out,
The ribcage softens,
Fingertips draw inwards as you exhale through the nose.
Inhaling through your nose,
Sending the breath deep into the low rib,
Into the diaphragm.
Expand.
Exhale.
Release.
Relax.
Breathing out through the nose.
We'll do this for a couple more minutes.
I will keep the time.
Breathing with ease in and out through your nose,
Softly and gently.
When you feel ready,
Releasing the control of your breath,
Perhaps releasing your hands into your lap or down by side,
Starting to notice how you feel in this moment,
Noticing the effects of your practice.
And when you feel ready,
Gently fluttering your eyelids open.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
I'll see you next time.
