Welcome.
In this simple meditation,
We are going to practice what's called 4-7-8 breath work.
This practice is helpful for people that struggle with anxiety,
Insomnia,
Stress,
Or a generally busy mind.
We're going to start by getting comfortable into our breath work and meditation position,
Making sure that the chest and the belly are able to breathe and move freely.
If you're wearing any tight clothing,
That may restrict your full breath.
Go ahead and make some adjustments.
You may want to lay down for this practice so that your abdomen doesn't have to be engaged to keep your spine upright,
If that's available to you.
In our practice today,
We're prioritizing creating a sense of groundedness.
And the most important thing is keeping your body comfortable so that your breath is able to move easily through the body.
When you're ready to begin,
Gently close your eyes or lower your gaze,
Giving yourself a moment to arrive into the here and now,
Letting go of everything that's happened up to this moment today,
And leaving everything that will happen for the rest of the day up to future you,
Knowing that you can trust yourself to take care of it,
And allowing yourself to be here now.
You are here to practice breath work,
And you are here to ground your body,
Calm your mind,
And to recenter.
Taking a deep breath in,
Exhaling gently,
Taking another deep breath in,
Filling up the lungs and holding at the top,
And sighing it all out the mouth.
One more deep breath like this,
And on your exhale,
Breathing out all that stale air from your lungs,
If that's comfortable to you,
Really pushing all of that air out.
You may hear a wheezing sound or feel out of breath,
But that's normal,
And it means you are emptying out all that stagnant energy and air from your beautiful lungs,
And as you continue to breathe normally now,
Notice the fresh,
Clean air coming into your lungs,
Revitalizing your organs,
Giving you energy,
And preparing you for our breath work practice today.
We're going to start with an inhale for a count of four,
Holding for a count of seven,
And exhaling for a count of eight,
And we'll do this five times.
I'll guide you,
And let's take one more deep breath before we begin.
Inhaling deeply,
And sighing it all out the mouth.
With our four,
Seven,
Eight breath work,
We're going to do all inhales through the nose and all exhales through the nose.
Let's begin.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Last round.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Deep breath in.
And letting it all fall out the mouth.
Letting your breath return to its natural rhythm.
Giving yourself a moment of silence,
Of peace.
Feeling the space that this beautiful breath created within us.
Notice any tingling sensations.
Notice if you feel any lessened tension from the beginning of your practice.
This breath work is available to you whenever you need it.
And if you ever find yourself experiencing some stress or anxiety,
Or if you notice that your breath is very shallow or quick,
One helpful tip is to extend your exhale to just be slightly longer than your inhale.
Breathing out longer than we breathe in is one way to show your body that it is safe to regulate and this helps to relax your nervous system.
Thank you for allowing me to guide you today.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
And may you be filled with peace and loving kindness.
Until next time.
