Welcome to calm.
In this practice,
We'll be using the simple technique of extending your exhales in order to shift into a more calm state of being.
Lengthening your exhale breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system,
Moving you towards a place of rest and digest and away from the fight or flight sympathetic state that's associated with higher levels of stress and can lead us to less conscious,
More impulsive decision making.
So to begin,
Position yourself in a comfortable position,
Either sitting upright or lying down on your back if that's inaccessible.
Most importantly,
Arrive in a place where your breath can flow freely.
As you settle in,
Begin to soften and close down the eyelids,
Turning your gaze inward.
Create a sense of spaciousness in your body as you lengthen your spine and receive the fullness of breath.
Relax your shoulders,
Release your jaw and let go of any unnecessary tension you might be holding onto.
Let your awareness rest on the tip of your nose and simply observe the flow of breath.
Invite the inhale to begin to descend deeper,
Allowing your belly to expand.
As you exhale,
Empty your lungs completely,
Breathing out.
Take a moment to simply observe what you're arriving with in this moment.
Without trying to change or manipulate your experience,
Just notice what there is to notice and feel what there is to feel.
In a moment,
We'll begin to bring our breath into balance using a count of four for each inhale and exhale.
Before we begin,
Take one cleansing breath.
Inhale deeply and exhale completely.
Inhale,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Continue this simple breathing pattern on your own,
Inhaling for the count of four and exhaling for the count of four.
If at any time you need to shorten your breath count to feel more at ease,
Please feel free to do so.
Avoid creating any added tension as you consciously shape the breath.
On your next exhale,
Start to extend the breath to five counts,
Breathing in for four and breathing out for five.
Focus your attention on the gradual elongation of the exhale breath.
As you feel more comfortable here,
You might begin to explore your edge,
Extending the exhale even further,
Breathing in for four and breathing out for six.
You can continue this process until you work your way up to an exhale that's twice as long as the inhale,
Breathing in for four and breathing out for eight.
Remember,
There's no rush.
So find a breath count that works for you and stay with it for the following rounds.
Find a calm,
Fluid breath count,
Focusing your attention on the lengthening exhale.
Wherever you are in your practice,
Begin to ease back,
Slowly bringing your exhale into balance with your inhale in that same gradual process as the way we entered in.
Take a few rounds of even breath and then release the breath count completely.
Give yourself a moment to be in the natural flow of breath.
Quoting the late Buddhist meditation teacher Thich Nhat Hanh,
Invite this simple mantra into your practice.
Breathing in,
I calm the body.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is the only moment.
May this calming breath carry you gently into the rest of your day.
Thank you for joining me for this practice.
