Hello and welcome to this 8 minute breathing exercise.
My name is Claire Parrish and it's my mission to support you to come back into a state of peace.
Where your body feels safe.
That it isn't stressed.
Because as we know,
Stress causes many restrictions on the body.
It stops the body from receiving nutrients from food that we eat.
It causes us to hold on to weight as we live in fight or flight.
And it creates a level of anxiety on the body.
Which keeps us in that constant level of apprehension.
Which causes huge challenges to the body.
And so by giving yourself this gift of 8 minutes a day.
You can start to bring the body back into what's called a parasympathetic.
Which is where the body feels safe enough to receive healing.
The healing of the breath.
You feel yourself surrender.
The breath heals tension within the body.
You can let go of any dis-ease or dis-harmony.
And really it's trusting that the breath is your biggest teacher.
It is the medicine.
And naturally,
Automatically goes to the places where you need healing.
Or even brings awareness to the spaces that need to be addressed.
So there's so many benefits of this breath.
I'm going to keep it simple for 8 minutes.
So lying down with your hands and legs uncrossed.
Your palms up into the air.
A trust that you're wearing comfortable clothes.
And just taking a deep breath.
In through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
And there's many reasons and benefits of breathing in through the nose.
We won't go into that today.
But just breathing with a deep,
Full,
Deep-bodied breath.
Whatever that means to you.
And you can channel and focus the breath into your stomach.
So breathing in with your nose.
Notice the air deeply come into your stomach.
And then exhale.
And on the exhale,
Let out some sort of sound.
Some sort of tone.
You haven't got anything else to do,
Anywhere else to be.
But simply be here in this moment.
Giving yourself this gift of time,
Of space.
Letting the to-do list,
Any worries,
Any doubts from the day so far,
Just drift away.
The ego can tend to become very active when we're relaxing or doing things that we may not be used to doing.
And one of them may be simply being still.
Being with yourself.
And being alone.
So we're teaching the body that it's safe.
We're showing the mind that you're safe.
And so eventually the mind becomes less prominent.
Less noise.
As it gets used to you giving yourself this time each day.
And so it quietens quicker.
So taking a deep breath in through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
Breathing without pause.
We don't have to force anything.
This is a gentle breath,
Known as the feminine breath.
Breathing in with the flow of the breath.
But the discipline of the masculine.
Keep coming back to the breath.
Giving yourself the space to meet parts of you that you may not have met before.
So as you continue to build the breath,
What you might notice.
.
.
Continue to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.
For as long as you can.
We have many patterns,
Holding patterns,
That sometimes restrict our chest and our stomach.
And it's okay for however long you're breathing right now.
As deeply as you can.
What means a full-bodied breath to you is absolutely great.
And as you breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth,
Just continue with that.
And just notice as you build up the oxygen,
Any sensations.
You may experience tingling.
You may feel hot.
You may feel fizzing.
It's the energy building up that means that the breath is working.
And showing you parts of the body that might be holding on to things.
And with each breath it's like water.
Cleansing the body.
You're building a relationship with the breath and the body.
Bypassing the monkey mind and keep bringing yourself back to the breath.
Back to your centre.
Your body is powerful.
You can trust in the messages of your body.
You can trust in the strength of your body to keep bringing you back.
And toning and sounding,
Releasing whatever feels good to you.
And maybe push your edges.
If it doesn't feel completely comfortable,
Experiment.
For so long we have been told to be seen and not heard and not allowed to express ourselves.
And so give yourself permission to meet your edges.
Lean into what may be uncomfortable.
This isn't about pain.
This is about exploring.
This is about being curious.
What is your body telling you?
And just focus in again,
Bringing yourself back to the breath.
It may be you hear nothing but simply returning to the breath.
Or it may be that you're coming up with many reasons as to why you don't want to do this.
And remember that's the ego part.
It's trying to keep you safe.
But you can override that with the trust and knowing that this breath is medicine.
That your breath is your teacher.
That it's working with you.
So where can you surrender a little bit more?
Breathe in as deeply as you can.
And with practice,
Each time you'll breathe a little bit deeper.
Or maybe for a little bit longer.
Again,
This is you building up this communication.
Building up this.
.
.
.
.
.
Of all possibilities of what your body can do with this consistency.
And trust in that however you are breathing is perfect for you right now.
Perfect for where you are.
We always receive the medicine that we are ready to receive.
The body has a high intelligence and knowing about that.
And if you feel emotion,
Also allow that to be expressed.
With no judgement.
Simply being.
And as you start to slow the breath for this last minute.
Bringing yourself,
Noticing the sounds in the room.
As you can slow the breath.
Bringing yourself back,
Noticing the body.
Maybe the rise of your chest.
The sensations in your hands,
In your feet.
And just noticing.
Simply notice.
And when you feel ready,
Take one breath here.
And in your own time,
Wriggle your fingers,
Wriggle your toes.
And stay here for as long as you need.
When you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
And move through your day with a sense of peace,
Calmness and clarity.
