Gratitude: 15 Minute Breathwork Practice

Hi everybody and welcome to this breath work practice that is focused on connecting with gratitude and reconnecting with the breath.

As we get started,

Find a way of laying down that feels comfortable to you.

And as we start the practice in a few moments,

Just remember that we're breathing all through the mouth.

We're starting with an inhale to the belly,

Inhale to the chest,

And then releasing.

Maybe give it a shot before we start.

Breathing into the belly,

Chest,

And release.

So that's the practice that we'll be exploring as we begin to settle in.

Maybe just take a moment to feel your weight on the ground.

Allow your jaw to relax.

And it's always nice to start a practice like this with a gentle reminder that it's safe for you to be in your body.

It's safe for you to explore the breath and to feel your emotions.

And let's take a nice breath together.

Breathing in.

Release it with a sigh.

And now really gently,

Knowing there's no rush,

Let's start the breathing pattern all through the mouth,

Into the belly,

Chest,

And release.

What I love about this practice,

As you continue to breathe and find your rhythm with it,

Is that it always meets us where we are.

So if you're already relaxed,

Then the breath can take you even more deeply into that place.

And if you've been experiencing anxiety or stress,

The breath can meet you there as well,

Gently inviting your body,

Your mind,

Your emotions,

And your heart to soften.

So stay with the breath.

As we start,

You may experience a little bit of tension or dizziness.

If that's you,

Just know that it's normal.

And stay with the breath being really gentle into the belly,

Chest,

And release.

If you want to,

You can take in a little bit more air,

Maybe 3 or 4% more oxygen into the belly,

Inviting the breath a little bit deeper into that spot that's 2 inches behind the belly button and 2 inches below.

You're doing beautiful work,

Stay with it.

And as you continue to breathe and explore,

I'll invite you to approach whatever experience you're having with this practice right now with a sense of curiosity and even wonder.

So if there's a place in your body that's feeling tight or constricted,

You can just allow yourself to become aware of that with a gentle curiosity.

And as you do,

Your breath and the energy will naturally flow to that place.

Some of you may be feeling emotions start to move in your body as we connect with the breath.

And you can let yourself feel and experience those as much as feels right to you.

And as we start to move a little bit more deeply into the practice,

Staying with that nice gentle 3 part breath,

I'll invite you to really allow gravity to work.

So let your body become heavier and see if you can allow that heaviness to just invite your muscles,

Even your organs to relax as you continue to breathe.

Stay with it and as you continue to breathe,

Feeling your weight against the earth,

You can even imagine that there are gentle roots or tendrils of energy growing from your back down into the earth beneath you into the soil.

And as those roots find their way into the earth,

You can allow them to go deeper and deeper and deeper until as you breathe,

Those energetic roots connect you with the heart of the earth,

The breathing center of Mother Nature.

And so as you breathe,

Bringing a gentle awareness that you're breathing with the earth.

And if there's any heaviness in your body,

Any stuck energy,

Exhaustion,

Anxiety,

If you want to,

You can allow that to gently fall down into the earth through those roots.

And the earth receives that energy as fertilizer.

It's as if she opens her heart and her arms and receives your beautiful offering with gratitude.

And see as you breathe if you can allow yourself to receive the gratitude of the earth for your breath,

For the gift of your energy and your emotions,

For the gift of your heart and your spirit.

And bring that awareness of gratitude flowing around you and through you into the breath.

And to deepen that awareness I'll invite you to bring into your heart,

Someone or something for which you are deeply grateful.

It might be for your own heart,

Your own lungs,

A beloved friend,

That plant or tree or animal being that you have a relationship with.

And stay with the breath.

Whatever it is,

Just allow that sense of gratitude to fill your breath.

And as it fills the breath,

It fills the body.

And notice how your body and your breath respond to this gratitude that you're experiencing.

You may even feel called to whisper aloud what you're experiencing gratitude for in this moment.

We'll just stay with this breath for another few moments.

As you breathe in inviting gratitude,

Even more into your body.

And as you exhale,

Allow the energy of that gratitude to accompany the exhale and flow out into the room you're in.

And you can even send it to that being or relationship or opportunity for which you are grateful.

Beautiful.

And now I'll invite you when you're ready to transition to a resting breath.

The resting breath is simply a single inhale still through the mouth into the belly.

And an exhale.

So the work is over.

These next few minutes are simply your chance to receive and integrate.

And you can imagine your body getting even heavier,

Almost like there's a lead blanket over you.

And as your limbs become heavier,

Maybe your tongue relaxes,

Your jaw relaxes even more.

You can imagine that as the body becomes heavier,

The heart becomes lighter.

And so we can allow that energy that we've connected with through the breath and through gratitude to allow the heart to expand and open.

Almost like there's wings on the back of the heart that start to unfurl.

And as you allow your heart to open as much as is right for you in this moment,

We can invite in the awareness of all the gratitude that is radiating towards you in this moment.

Who are the people who may be grateful for you,

Even in small ways?

Who are the beings,

The animals,

That tree you pass every day?

And if you have trouble connecting with this idea of accepting the gratitude all around you,

Just know that in this moment,

I am deeply grateful for you.

Grateful that you've taken time out of your day to explore this practice for your heart,

Your story.

And when we enter into a relationship with gratitude at the center,

A whole new world of possibilities opens up.

And within these last few moments,

Relaxing together,

I'll invite you to imagine with me,

Breathing and moving in a world where we are all bound together by gratitude,

Exchanging that deep recognition with each other,

With each breath.

And I'll invite you to bring your breathing to a more natural place,

Still staying very relaxed.

When you're ready,

You can begin to bring yourself back really gently,

Maybe wiggling your fingers and your toes,

Letting yourself come back to your body.

And before sitting up,

I always like to turn on over to my side and bring my knees up to my chest,

Give myself a hug,

Maybe tap my body to make sure it's still there.

And when you're ready,

You can gently bring yourself up to seated,

Knowing you might be a little bit dizzy.

You can have a sip of water or a gulp of water if that feels better to you,

And I'll invite you before going on with your day or your night to take a few moments and journal about this experience.

Often in this practice,

Especially when we're working with something like gratitude,

You may have insights that feel like they'll never not be available to you.

And I can tell you from experience that they tend to fade pretty quick,

So you may want to write them down.

Thank you so much for breathing with me.

I hope that you enjoyed this practice and feel free to come back and explore it anytime.

It will be different every time.

Thank you for being here and hope to see you again soon.