14:03

Pranayama - For Balancing Energy & Calming Bodymind

by Holly Shoebridge

Rated
4.6
Type
guided
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Everyone
Plays
222

A gentle conscious breath meditation. Participants will be guided through Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing), Box Breathing & 4-7-8 Breathing. This practice balances the solar and lunar (masculine and feminine) energies, while also facilitating a relaxation response via extended exhales & increasing CO2 in the body, for stimulation of the vagus nerve and decreasing the heart rate. A beautiful practice at any time of the day; morning, noon or before bed.

PranayamaBreathingRelaxationEnergy BalanceCalmNadi ShodhanaBox Breathing4 7 8 BreathingBody ScanSensory AwarenessParasympathetic Nervous SystemBreath Observation4 7 Breathing

Transcript

In today's session,

We're going to walk through some techniques that we've done in the past few days.

So you might like to get comfortable for this,

You'll be seated for 10 minutes or so.

We'll be walking through some breath practices,

Gentle breath practices.

So for this,

I personally would recommend that you might like to sit up for this,

You can lay down if that's your preference.

So getting seated or laying where you are.

So you might like to start to take a handful of deep and conscious breaths.

So settling into position and breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Do that five times,

Just observing the inhale,

The cool air as it enters your nose and the warm air as it leaves your mouth.

Settling further into your position in your seated or your laying position.

Start to notice any sounds you might be able to hear around you.

Notice any sounds in the distance.

Notice any sounds closer to you.

If you haven't already,

You might like to shut your eyes for this practice.

If you wish to keep your eyes open,

As always,

Take a soft gaze to a point in front of you.

If you shut your eyes,

Gently closing your eyes now.

Shift your attention to the texture of the inside of your mouth.

Notice any tastes that might be lingering in your mouth.

Might be neutral or sweet,

Savory.

Just notice now any colors or shapes,

What you can see.

So if your eyes are closed,

What do you observe in that space behind your closed eyes?

What do you observe in that space behind your eyebrow center?

You might notice shapes or colors or speckles of light.

Now start to notice your feet on the floor,

The sensation of touch.

Notice where your hands are resting.

You might feel them against the ground or your lap.

Notice the t-shirt on your skin.

Bring your attention now back to the breath.

A simple observation of breath.

No need to change the rhythm of breath.

Simply observe the inhale through the nose and the exhale through the mouth.

The first practice we'll move into is the Nadi Shodhana.

So for this,

If you place your right hand in front of your face,

Your forefinger and your middle finger on the eyebrow center,

And let your ring finger and little finger relax to the side.

So cover your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril.

Now close the left nostril with your right ring finger and exhale through the right nostril.

Now inhale through the right nostril and close it with the right thumb.

And now you'll exhale through the left nostril.

And then inhale through the left nostril,

Closing it with the ring finger,

And then exhaling through the right nostril.

Inhale again through the right nostril and close it with the right thumb.

Exhale through the left nostril.

Inhale through the left nostril and close it with the ring finger.

Exhale through the right nostril.

And repeat this for seven rounds.

So you drop the right hand,

Rest it by your side.

And the next practice we move into is box breath.

For box breath,

You'll inhale for a count of four,

Hold for a count of four,

Exhale for a count of four,

Hold or pause at the bottom of the breath for a count of four,

And repeat.

So inhale for,

Hold for,

Exhale for,

Hold for,

And repeat that seven times.

So the final practice we'll move into now is 4-7-8 breathing.

The 4-7-8 breath is inhale for four,

Hold for seven,

And exhale for eight.

Inhale for four,

Hold for seven,

Exhale for eight.

And the emphasis is on the exhale being twice as long as the inhale to really trigger that parasympathetic nervous system.

So 4-7-8 breathing for seven rounds.

So dropping all breath counts now,

And returning to a natural rhythm of breath.

Simply sit and observe in this space for a moment.

Notice any vibration or energy that you may notice pulsing through the body after the breath practice.

Perhaps you may feel more energy,

Or you might feel more relaxed.

Just start to notice any sensations in the body.

And just notice now how you might be feeling compared to when you started the practice.

If there's any subtle differences,

Any notable changes or shifts.

So today's practice is now complete.

Thank you for joining me for today's practice.

Meet your Teacher

Holly ShoebridgeNew South Wales, Australia

4.5 (20)

Recent Reviews

Blossom

February 28, 2024

Hi Holly. Love this breathe work! This will be my new daily breathe work track. Thank you so much. 💖. Looking forward to your next LIVE here whenever that may be. 🙏

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© 2026 Holly Shoebridge. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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