Find a comfortable seat.
You can either sit cross-legged or in a chair with your feet planted into the earth.
Make sure your back is upright,
With the crown of your head stacking over your shoulders,
Over your hips,
And over your seat.
If you can,
Position your hips to be slightly above your knees.
If you have a meditation cushion or a block,
Place it below your hips.
As you rest here,
Start to get to know what it feels like to be in your body today.
Start to notice the cadence and the quality of your breath as it travels in and out of your body.
Notice where your breath travels smoothly,
With ease,
Like honey through your body.
And notice where your breath gets stuck,
Any sticky spaces.
And just allow them to be.
Allow your breath,
With every inhale and exhale,
To smooth over those places just a little bit more.
Helping soften the edges,
With loving awareness,
To those places and any tension they're carrying.
Know that over time,
With your loving attention,
They will soften.
As you rest here,
Know that we will be practicing a 4-7-8 breathing pattern.
This is a relaxing breathing pattern.
It's a form of pranayama,
Which is the practice of breath regulation.
All you need to do is focus on taking long,
Deep breaths in and out.
The benefits are reducing anxiety,
Helping you get to sleep,
Reducing anger responses,
Relieving anxiety,
And managing cravings.
We'll be following the 4-7-8 breathing technique,
In which you'll inhale for a count of 4,
Hold for a count of 7,
And exhale for a count of 8.
I will guide you through the entire way.
Let's get started.
Empty your lungs of air,
And take a deep breath in through your nose,
Letting your stomach,
Your chest,
Your lungs,
Rise with your breathing.
Hold it at the top.
Take in a little bit more air,
And sigh it out.
Take one more just like that,
Inhale through your nose,
Letting your belly,
Your chest,
Your lungs expand.
Take in a little bit more air,
And let all of that go.
Sigh it out,
Open mouth exhale.
Take one more just like that,
This time on your exhale.
If you feel comfortable and safe,
I recommend making a sound,
A sigh,
A hum,
A buzz,
Flutter of the lips,
Whatever sound feels intuitive to you.
Making open mouth exhales,
Or exhales with sounds,
Activates your parasympathetic nervous system by stimulating your vagus nerve.
We'll take a deep breath in,
All together,
Inhale,
Filling the belly,
The chest,
The lungs,
Roll your shoulders back,
Take in a little bit more air,
And let all of that go.
Sigh it out,
Hum it out,
Release your breath.
We'll now get started with our 4-7-8 breathing technique.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
As we start to near the end of our practice,
Notice how your breath has changed from the moment you entered this space,
This quiet reservoir of peace,
Of calm,
Of quiet within yourself.
Notice the differences between then and now.
How do you feel?
Can you bring a gentle smile to your face,
Knowing that your breath is always there to support you,
And no matter what comes and goes in your life,
It is just like this for now.
The good news is that nothing lasts forever,
And the bad news is that nothing lasts forever.
Can you be present with what is?
Staying gentle,
Staying graceful with yourself and with those around you,
Choosing love,
Choosing ease,
And bringing your loving awareness to that which comes your way.
Start to bring awareness back to the sensations in your fingertips and your toes.
Maybe start to bring movement,
Bring life into your wrists,
Giving them a little twist,
Side to side,
Stretch.
Roll your shoulders down your back as you open your heart for the breath.
Forward,
Drop one ear down to one shoulder,
And then the other ear down to the other shoulder.
Notice the energy you've built up in your heart.
Let it travel to your cheeks with a smile,
And through the crown of your head,
Sharing it with the world.
Gently blink open your eyes if you had them closed,
Seeing the world around you,
While also maintaining an awareness of the world within you.
All you have is right now.
Whether good and whether bad,
It is just like this for now.
Thank you so much for sharing your practice with me today.
I'm honored to have shared your time and your energy and your practice.
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.
My name is Sasha Andriyanova,
And I thank you.
