Welcome friends.
Thank you for joining me for this breathwork practice.
Find a comfortable position.
Either seated or lying down,
Whatever works for you.
Let your hands find rest somewhere natural,
Somewhere comfortable.
And maybe you might want to close your eyes.
Before we begin this breathwork practice together,
Let me tell you what we're actually doing here.
This isn't just relaxation.
There is a real science behind this resonance breathing.
Your heart doesn't beat like a metronome.
The gaps between your heartbeats change constantly.
And that variation is actually a sign of a healthy,
Responsive nervous system.
System.
It's called heart rate variability or HRV.
And it's one of the most important markers of how well your body is managing stress,
Recovery,
And emotional regulation.
And here's where the breathing comes in.
When you slow your breathing down to around 5.
5 breaths per minute,
Your heart rate and nervous system sync up and your HRV increases almost instantly.
Your heart,
Your lungs and your nervous system fall into a kind of rhythm together.
Researchers call this resonance.
It works through the vagus nerve,
Which is the main pathway of your parasympathetic nervous system,
Connecting your brain to your heart,
Lungs,
And digestive organs.
Studies have shown that 5.
5 breaths per minute with an equal inhale and exhale,
5.
5 seconds in,
5.
5 seconds out,
Increases HRV more than any other breathing pattern tested.
And here's what I find fascinating.
Catholics reciting the Rosary independently landed on almost exactly this rhythm of breathing.
Ancient traditions discovered through centuries of practice the exact breathing rate that produces the strongest cardiovascular effect.
They just called it something different.
Today we are going to do it deliberately.
5.
5 seconds in,
5.
5 seconds out.
No holes,
No complexity,
Just breathing.
We'll spend about a minute settling in,
Then 12 minutes breathing together.
It is possible to do this for a shorter amount of time,
But hitting that 12 to 15 minute marker really,
Really helps.
So let's go.
Start by taking a natural breath in through your nose.
And let it go.
Again,
In.
And out.
Let your body start to slow down.
Feel the weight of wherever you're sitting or lying.
Let that surface hold you.
You don't need to hold yourself right now.
One more natural breath.
And release.
Now we move into the rhythm.
I'll guide you in and out.
Try to breathe smoothly.
No sharp edges on the inhale.
No forcing on the exhale.
Think of it like a slow,
Continuous wave.
And out.
And out.
And out.
Let the music and bells guide you now.
Keep that rhythm going.
Let the breath do the work.
And if your mind wanders,
And sometimes it will,
It's perfectly natural,
Just come back to the count.
It's a chance to begin again.
That is what we're here for.
And out.
Notice what's happening in your body.
Your nervous system is shifting.
The breath is doing exactly what it's designed to do.
You're about halfway.
Well done.
Stay with it.
Stay relaxed.
Keep going.
There's nothing else you need to do right now.
Nowhere else to be.
Just present.
And let the rhythm of the breath just carry you now.
You don't need to think about it anymore.
Just keep breathing.
Last minute.
Stay with it,
Keep going.
And let the count go.
Just breathe naturally for a moment.
Notice how you feel right now compared to when you started.
That shift,
That change,
It's real,
It's physiological,
It's not just psychological.
You've actively changed the state of your nervous system.
Regular practice builds what researchers call autonomic flexibility.
It's your body's ability to move in and out of stress states more efficiently.
The more you do this,
The more resilient your system becomes.
Take one more breath in.
And alongside out.
Well done.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Go and take that calm with you.
