Guided Practice Find a comfortable position.
Sitting or lying down.
Whatever feels right.
Place one hand on your belly if you'd like.
Or let both hands rest wherever they are comfortable.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a natural breath.
And let your body settle.
We're going to start with a gentle ratio.
Inhale for 4 counts,
Exhale for 8 counts.
If eight counts feels too long at first,
You can exhale for six.
The important thing is that your exhale is longer than your inhale.
That's what activates the calming response.
I'll count for you.
All you have to do is follow my voice.
Breathe in through your nose,
And out through your nose or through your mouth,
If that feels more releasing.
We'll do this together for several minutes.
And with each breath.
You'll feel your body softening,
Releasing,
Letting go.
Ready?
Let's begin.
Take a breath in through your nose.
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Two.
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Three.
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Four.
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Now,
Exhale slowly,
3.
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4.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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Breathe in.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Long exhale.
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3.
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4.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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Again.
In.
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Two.
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Three.
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Four.
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Let it go.
4.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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In.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Out.
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4.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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In.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Out.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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5.
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IN 2.
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3.
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4.
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Out.
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2.
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3.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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In.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Out.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Eight.
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Breathe in.
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Two.
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Three.
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4.
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As you exhale,
Feel tension draining from your body.
4.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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In.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Let your shoulders drop.
3.
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4.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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In.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Release your jaw,
Your neck,
5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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In.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Surrender to the exhale.
4.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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In.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Out.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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8.
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In.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Out.
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2.
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3.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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In.
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3.
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4.
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Out.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
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Keep going.
In… 2… 3… 4.
Long,
Releasing exhale.
4.
5.
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Six.
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Seven.
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Eight.
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One more.
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Breathe in.
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Two.
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Three.
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Four.
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And let it all go.
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Three.
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Four.
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Five.
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Six.
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Seven.
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Eight.
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Beautiful.
Now,
Gently return to your natural breath.
No counting,
No technique,
Just breathe.
Notice how your body feels.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Take a moment.
Notice the shift.
Maybe your heart rate has slowed.
Maybe your shoulders have dropped away from your ears.
Maybe your mind feels quieter,
Less frantic.
That's the power of the extended exhale.
That's your vagus nerve.
Doing its job.
Telling your body.
The emergency is over.
You can rest now.
This is your fast-acting rescue tool.
The 1-2-2 breath.
Inhale to exhale.
Four to eight.
Or 3 to 6.
Whatever ratio feels right for you.
Use this breath when anxiety appears.
When you're lying in bed and your mind won't stop racing.
Before a difficult conversation.
Or high-pressure moments.
OR Anytime you need to press the reset button fast.
You don't need this track to practice it.
You can do this breath.
Anywhere.
Anytime.
Count silently to yourself,
Four in,
Eight out.
That's all it takes.
You now have three powerful breathwork tools.
Coherent breathing for balance.
Long,
Deep breathing for expansion.
And the 1 to 2 breath ratio for emergency calm.
In the next practice,
We'll explore something different,
Breath-holding.
This might sound intense,
But done gently.
It teaches your body to stay calm.
Even when conditions aren't perfect.
It builds resilience from the inside out.
When you're ready,
I'll meet you there.
For now.
Breathe easy.
You have the tools you need.
I'll see you in the next practice.
