Hi,
I'm Caroline and today I'm sharing with you one of the most effective breathing exercises you can use to increase calm and to reduce stress.
Box breathing or Sama Vritti Pranayama in Sanskrit is a calming breathing technique used in yoga.
Sama is Sanskrit for calm and Vritti is Sanskrit for mental chatter.
So this breathing technique is specifically useful for quieting the chatter of your mind or the fluctuations of the mind.
There are several benefits for this breathing exercise.
So this slow and focused technique can be immensely helpful in calming our sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for activating our automatic fight or flight response when we feel stressed or tense.
This overwhelming sense of calm can also contribute to lower blood pressure and also help to regulate body temperature if you feel either overheated or even too cold.
Finally,
Box breathing can also help to improve your mood,
Reduce your overall stress,
And can even help with managing pain.
Practicing box breathing at night can also help to combat insomnia by calming your nervous system to get you ready for bed and to fall asleep quickly and deeply.
So before I guide you through 10 complete rounds of Sama Vritti Pranayama,
Let's first complete one practice round.
Come either to a comfortable seat or lie down comfortably on your back.
You could also do this breathing exercise while standing if that's more comfortable for you right now.
The important thing is to make sure that your spine is extended long.
Close your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so and place your hands in any comfortable spot.
Relax your shoulders and soften through your face.
Start to tune in to the natural pace of your breathing right now.
As you notice your breath,
Take a quick scan throughout your body and check in and notice,
Especially any areas where you may be carrying tension,
Stress,
Or pain right now.
Start to extend the lengths of your inhales and exhales.
Without forcing the air to come in any more quickly or forcefully than before,
Try to keep the pace of your inhales equal to the pace of your exhales.
Begin to notice at the end of your inhale,
There's a small pause before your exhale begins.
At the end of your exhale,
There is another pause before your inhale starts again.
Begin to notice at the end of your inhale,
There's a small pause before your exhale begins.
At the end of your exhale,
There is another pause before your inhale starts again.
In box breathing,
We want to extend the length of these pauses to eventually be equal to the inhales and the exhales.
If it helps you to visualize,
Imagine that you are drawing a box in the air with your finger.
As you inhale,
Draw a line in the air going straight up.
Once your inhale is equal to the length of your exhale,
Draw a line in the air going straight up.
As you inhale,
Draw a line in the air going straight up.
Once your inhale stops during the pause,
Draw a line over to the right at the same pace.
As you begin your exhale,
Draw your line straight down.
And at this next pause,
Finish drawing your box by completing the line toward the left where you began.
So for one complete round of box breathing would be to inhale for a count of one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Pause,
And then exhale.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Pause,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And pause,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Keep your eyes closed if they are,
But for a moment allow yourself to return to your natural,
Comfortable breath.
Some tips for your box breathing practice.
Try to keep a smooth,
Steady,
And controlled pace of your breathing.
Your breath should be very quiet or even silent.
Focus on breathing into your abdomen and allowing your belly to naturally expand with each inhale and to contract with each exhale.
Focus on remaining relaxed,
Especially through your chest and your shoulders and your face,
And allow the breath to come naturally without any strain.
If you've shifted or changed positions in any way,
Come back to your comfortable seat,
Lying posture,
Or standing posture with an extended spine.
Let your hands rest wherever you like and allow your eyes to close if it's okay for you right now.
Relax through your face,
Neck,
And shoulders.
Settle in as you scan again through your body once more,
Paying special attention to any areas that could use some relief right now.
Begin by noticing your natural breath once more.
Notice all parts of your breath.
The inhale,
The pause,
The exhale,
And the pause.
I'll guide you now through 10 full rounds of our box breathing.
Start by taking a full breath in and then exhale.
Let's begin.
Inhale steadily for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Pause here for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
For one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Pause here for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale steadily for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And pause here for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three four.
Pause,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Pause,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe in,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Pause,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Breathe out,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Pause,
1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale,
4.
Pause,
4.
Exhale,
4.
Pause,
4.
Breathe in,
4.
Pause,
4.
Breathe out,
4.
Pause,
4.
In,
4.
Pause,
4.
Out,
4.
Pause,
4.
Inhale,
4.
Pause,
4.
Exhale,
4.
Pause,
4.
Breathe in,
4.
Pause,
4.
Breathe out,
4.
Pause,
4.
In,
4.
Pause,
4.
Out,
4.
Pause,
5.
In,
6.
Pause,
7.
Out,
Pause.
Allow your breath to return to normal.
Keep your eyes closed if they already were.
And scan through your body once more.
Check in with all of your systems.
And continue to focus on softening through any areas of tension.
Whenever you're feeling stressed or overworked,
You can always bring your awareness back to your breath.
You can expand the length of your inhales and your exhales and then begin to lengthen the pauses in between them.
If you're sitting in traffic,
In a stressful meeting,
Or even standing in line at the bank,
A quiet moment just for yourself is always only a breath away.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
May you always see your inner courage,
Speak your strengths,
And hold joy in your heart.
Namaste.
