This is part two of a series of meditations that focus on the breath.
You don't have to have done part one beforehand.
However,
If you've ever had difficulties with breath meditations,
You might find it useful.
Among other things,
It explains what to do if you become anxious or agitated whilst focusing on the breath.
Anyway,
Let's dive into part two.
With your eyes open or closed,
Whatever you prefer,
Become a little more aware of the sounds around you.
Breathing into whatever draws your attention,
Perhaps just the sound of my voice or maybe things in the room you're in or beyond.
Notice what comes up as you explore the soundscape.
Perhaps you find yourself judging or thinking about the sounds you hear.
Or perhaps the sound brings with it some reaction,
Maybe pleasure,
Maybe annoyance.
Or you might just find yourself sinking into an enjoyable restfulness.
Whatever the case,
See if you can bring a little curiosity to your experience.
Not judging anything good or bad,
Just letting the meditative process unfold naturally.
Each thought or feeling like a signpost on the road towards relaxation and calm.
And now,
Without forcing it,
Take a comfortable unhurried breath,
Allowing the air to flow gently down into the lower belly and pelvis.
And as you continue to breathe naturally and without any special effort,
Begin to notice some of the qualities of the breathing that's going on right now.
What does it feel like to breathe?
Can you notice your breath at the nostrils,
The belly,
The chest,
Or somewhere else?
Where are the sensations of breathing most prominent?
Just a breath,
Feel fast or slow.
Breathe or be regular.
Can you tell what's longer,
The inhalation or the exhalation?
And what moves the most as you breathe?
The belly or the chest?
Does the breath flow equally through each nostril?
Perhaps air is flowing more freely through the right or the left?
And is there any part of your body that doesn't move at all as you breathe?
You may be surprised to note that there are subtle movements extending from the top of your head all the way down to the toes.
Now,
You may be aware that each breath has four phases,
The inhalation,
A brief pause,
The exhalation,
And another brief pause.
By varying the duration of each of these phases,
We can directly influence the nervous system and therefore how we feel.
So let's start with some square breathing,
The pattern that results when we make each of the four phases of equal length.
We'll be holding each phase of the breath for a count of four.
Before we begin,
Gently breathe out.
And now,
Breathe in.
Two,
Three,
Four.
Pause two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four.
And pause two,
Three,
Four.
And again in two,
Three,
Four.
Pause two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four.
And pause two,
Three,
Four.
Continue in two,
Three,
Four at your own pace,
Speeding up or slowing down the count to find a tempo that feels right for you.
And I'll let you experiment with that for another minute or so.
Three,
Two,
One.
Now,
Let go of the counting and allow your breath to return to its natural,
Uncontrolled rhythm.
Notice if it feels any different from when we checked in previously.
Does it feel like the breath flows more freely throughout your body?
Perhaps it feels deeper or fuller.
And remember,
None of the exercises in this meditation require you to force or hold the breath longer than feels comfortable.
You may notice a tiny bit of tension or discomfort towards the end of the exhalation or during the pauses between breaths,
But there's no need to exert yourself.
Feel free to make adjustments.
Generally,
The intention isn't to breathe more.
It's just to breathe a little more slowly,
Softly,
And deeply.
And let's experiment a little further,
This time with triangular breathing.
Start by gently breathing out.
Then breathe in,
2,
3,
4,
5.
Breathe out,
2,
3,
4,
5.
And pause,
2,
3,
4,
5.
In,
2,
3,
4,
5.
Out,
2,
3,
4,
5.
Pause,
2,
3,
4,
5.
And continue at your own tempo.
Note that the triangle doesn't have to be equilateral.
You can make the in and out breath of equal duration and the pause either shorter or longer.
Just experiment,
Seeing what it's like to breathe without any pause between the in and out breath.
I'll give you another minute or so to explore.
Is it okay?
Now,
Let go of the counting and allow your breath to return.
And now,
Let's continue with some breathing.
We'll continue with some circular breathing in a moment.
But for now,
Take a little break.
Forget about the breath and just let your mind wander freely.
Don't worry where it goes or what it does.
Let it fly free like a bird released from a cage.
And you may like to sigh gently a couple of times,
Releasing any tension you might be holding.
You can make the sighs deliberate.
Getting in a fraction more than normal and letting the breath fall from the body.
Sighs are a natural way to release stress.
They help us to slow down and let go.
You may find that your breath becomes a little longer and slower as you sigh.
A clear indication that the body is relaxing.
Now,
Let's try some circular breathing.
The idea here is to let your breath flow continuously without any gaps or pauses.
There's no counting required.
Just breathe in comfortably and let the breath immediately flow out with no hesitation at all.
And at the end of the out breath,
Let the in breath begin seamlessly with no pause and no hesitation.
Try to make the breath flow like water or perhaps even air effortlessly,
Smoothly and continuously without any gap at all between inhalation and exhalation.
And again,
I'll let you explore in your own way for a minute or so.
Take it easy.
The idea is to find a way to breathe that feels smooth and soothing.
If it feels awkward or uncomfortable,
Make some adjustments or just let the body breathe naturally.
Alwayshhhhhhhhhh.
So that's probably enough breathing for one day,
Eh?
But before we finish,
Let's check in with the breath one final time.
What does it feel like to breathe now?
And how do you feel?
Im might like to take some of the principles we've explored in this meditation and apply them in daily life.
They're not just for use on the cushion.
You probably know that we tend to breathe shallow and fast when we're stressed or when exerting ourselves.
That when we're relaxed,
The breath flows deeper down into the body,
Into the belly rather than the chest.
Fast breath is also relatively soft and slow.
And remember,
A gentle sigh,
Or two or three,
Is all you need to let the body know that it's allowed to relax.
And when you do this,
You set the stage for calm and clarity too.
Keep an eye out for part three of this series in which we'll explore several ways that we can use the breath to induce deep relaxation and stillness.
See you then.
