Hi,
I'm Lani.
Welcome to this short breath awareness practice.
With breath work,
The first step is to become aware of how we are breathing.
We can then correct any dysfunctional breathing patterns and regulate our nervous system with different breathing exercises.
You might be breathing rapidly using your mouth and chest,
Which could explain why finding calm might be harder for you.
You're constantly sending signals to your body and brain through your breath that you're in a stress mode.
So by looking at how you might move into a healthier breathing pattern,
You will start activating the restful part of your nervous system.
Once we have some awareness around what our natural breath is like and have corrected our daily breathing pattern,
We can then start to change our breath in order to shift our state.
We can use different breath work exercises as our little toolbox for whenever we might need more calm,
Balance,
Grounding,
Focus or energy.
It all starts with this practice of breath awareness.
So today we are simply starting to become aware of what our natural breath is like.
You can go ahead now and find a comfortable place to sit.
We want to make sure that our hips,
Spine and head are in one straight line.
This will allow for a nice flow of breath without any constriction of the throat or diaphragm,
Which is our primary breathing muscle.
I invite you to close your eyes now and take a deep,
Clearing breath.
Full inhale through your nose and slow exhale through your mouth.
Two more times.
Breathing in through your nose and exhaling.
Now feel into where your body is making contact with the support beneath you or behind you.
Just letting your body be heavy.
Softening your forehead,
Your eyebrows,
Your jaw,
Lowering your shoulders and letting your belly be soft.
Maybe you can scan your body and see if there is any remaining tension,
Any tightness.
And if so,
Soften those areas now too.
Letting a wave of relaxation move through your body.
And just as you scanned your body for physical tension,
You can check in with yourself now and see what else is present for you in this moment.
Are there any emotions?
Do you have a busy or calm mind?
Are there any other sensations present in your body?
We are simply observing,
Allowing whatever is present to be there.
And now you can bring your awareness to your breath.
Really noticing your breath without changing anything.
What is moving in your body as you breathe?
Can you feel your belly expanding and contracting?
Is your chest moving as you inhale and exhale?
Maybe you can feel your breath in your belly and your chest.
Are you using your nose or mouth to breathe?
Is your breathing fast or is it slow?
Is it shallow or deep?
So we're not looking to change anything about our breath.
We're simply becoming aware.
Can you feel the air around your nostrils?
Maybe feeling cold air as you inhale and warm air as you exhale.
Can you hear your breath or is it silent?
Staying present with all of these sensations that make up your breath.
Just being aware.
Now taking a deep breath in through your nose and slowly sighing out.
Breathing naturally.
Can you notice any subtle changes in your body and the way you feel?
Maybe you feel a little different to how you felt at the beginning of this practice.
Bringing your attention to your heart center now and thank yourself for taking the time for this practice today,
For this act of kindness towards yourself.
You can bring something to mind that you're grateful for right now,
A person,
A thing,
A situation.
And feel this feeling of gratitude spreading in your heart.
Now,
Take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in through your nose,
Holding the breath at the top.
And gently releasing with a sigh.
Bringing your awareness back into the space around you now.
Gently moving your body.
When it feels comfortable,
You can slowly open your eyes.
I hope you enjoyed this practice and maybe you learned something about your breath.
Maybe you found some calm.
Wishing you an amazing day and see you again soon.
