Introduction To Ocean Breath

Welcome to today's practice.

Let's start by getting into a comfortable seated position.

Take notice of how your body feels today.

Maybe you feel energized or maybe you're feeling calm and at ease or maybe you're feeling a little bit tired.

Just take notice without judgment.

Observe where you might be holding tension in your shoulders,

Your jaw,

Or the space between your brows and just do your best to relax any of those tense areas.

Now I will invite you to take notice of your breath.

Are your breaths shallow or are they deep?

Is your breath catching on the inhale or exhale?

Just take notice and begin to deepen your breath at your pace for a few moments.

On your next exhale,

Open your mouth and breathe out as if you were to fog a mirror.

Let's do that a few more times at your pace.

Breathing in and then breathing out as if you were to fog a mirror.

On your next exhale,

Close your mouth but keep that same restriction in the back of your throat.

Do this a few more times at your pace,

Keeping your mouth closed with that same restriction in the back of your throat.

Now I will invite you to give this a try during your inhale as well,

Maintaining that restriction as you breathe in and as you breathe out.

Start to breathe at your own pace,

Giving this a try for a few more rounds.

This is known as ocean breath as the sound resembles the crashing of waves on a sandy shore.

And sit with your breath as you continue this pattern for a few minutes,

Breathing at your own pace but continuing that restriction in the back of your throat on the inhale and the exhale.

Very good.

Now I will invite you to come back to your normal breath,

Letting the restriction ease.

Take notice of any changes from the beginning of our practice to now.

Is your mind more at ease?

Are your muscles more relaxed?

Or maybe there's no change at all.

That's okay.

You can come back to this breath work practice for any time that you need deep relaxation.

Thank you for joining me today.

Namaste.