Welcome.
So today's practice is Ujjayi breath.
You'll often hear it called the ocean breath because of the soft sound that it makes.
So you're going to be gently narrowing the back of the throat as you breathe so that the air makes a quiet whisper on the way in and out,
Almost like waves rolling up a beach and drawing back.
And that small narrowing does two useful things.
It slows the breath down without you having to force it.
And it gives your mind something to rest on.
So the sound becomes an anchor.
When your attention wanders,
The sound can bring you back.
So this is a calming practice,
Good for the evening after a stressful day.
Or anytime you want to come down a few gears.
One thing before we start,
The sound should be soft.
If you're straining or squeezing or it starts to feel like effort in the throat,
You're doing too much.
So less is more here.
Let's find a comfortable seat or lying down.
And allowing the eyes to gently close or to soften.
Begin by just breathing naturally for a few moments with nothing to change.
Notice the air as it moves in and out through the nose.
Let the jaw unclench.
Let the tongue rest softly in the mouth.
Let the shoulders drop.
And feel the body being held by whatever's underneath you.
You don't need to hold yourself up.
And to begin let's find the sound first with the mouth open.
So opening the mouth,
Imagine you're fogging up a mirror.
Breathing out through an open mouth with a soft ah sound.
Just try it out.
If you can feel that gentle narrowing at the back of the throat,
That's it.
And you can try the same thing on the way in.
So breathe in through an open mouth and keep that same gentle narrowing.
So the inhale has that soft sound too.
And then out again,
Fogging the mirror.
Once more,
Breathing in with sound.
How it would sound fogging the mirror.
And now closing your mouth and keep that same shape in the throat as you breathe through the nose.
And the sound becomes quieter,
A little like the ocean.
As if the ocean was heard from inside a shell.
Take a few breaths here,
Really finding it,
Finding that anchor,
That sound,
That gentle constriction at the back of the throat.
And now let's give it a gentle rhythm.
So maybe breathing in for four.
And out for four.
I'll count it with you,
Breathing in,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And out,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe in,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And out,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe in,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And out,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Keeping the sound even.
Same volume at the start of the breath as at the end.
Smooth like one long wave.
And now let the out-breath grow a little longer than the in-breath.
This is where the body can really start to settle.
Breathe in 2,
3,
4 and out 2,
3,
4,
5,
6 Breathe in 2,
3,
4 and out 2,
3,
4,
5,
6 Breathe in 2,
3,
4 and out 2,
3,
4,
5,
6 five,
Six.
Breathe in,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
And if six feels like a stretch,
Stay within for four.
Out for four,
Five,
Six.
Really allow the breath to feel easy but like a task.
And I'll be quieter now,
So just keep the rhythm going on your own.
Maybe in for four,
Out for six.
Maintaining that soft ocean sound.
Let that sound be the thing you listen to,
Waves coming in,
Waves going out And if your mind has wandered off,
That's okay.
Just come back to the sound.
Notice your throat,
Is it soft?
If there's any squeezing,
Just ease off and allow it to be like a whisper.
And notice what's happening in the body as the exhale gets long and slow.
Maybe some warmth or maybe heaviness.
Maybe the belly is softening.
Now let the sound go.
Let the throat open,
Let the breath return to its own natural rhythm.
Notice how you feel compared to when we started This is a practice you can come back to anywhere,
Anytime.
In traffic or before a hard conversation or lying in bed when your mind won't switch off.
A few slow ocean breaths and the body knows what to do.
Let's take one more breath in through the nose.
And a long slow breath out.
And when you're ready,
Let your eyes open.
Thank you for practicing with me.
I'll see you next time.
