Hello and welcome to this short breath practice.
Please take a moment to find a supportive seat,
Or you might like to lie down.
And whether you're sitting or lying down,
You might like to place one or two hands over your belly,
And then gently close down your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Soften your whole body from the crown of your head,
Through all the muscles in your face,
Neck,
Shoulders,
Chest,
Legs,
Feet,
Arms and hands.
Take another deep breath in,
And a long breath out,
And then allow your breath to be effortless.
Notice the inhalation,
And let yourself receive the breath rather than taking.
And notice your exhalation.
Be aware of the body breathing.
You might notice your belly or the navel rising as you breathe in,
And falling as you exhale.
Stay with this feeling for the next five to six breaths.
Now gently begin to shape the breath a little bit so it feels equal on the inhale and the exhale.
You might breathe in for a count of four,
And exhale for a count of four,
Or whatever count feels most comfortable for you.
As you continue to gently shape the breath to be even on the inhale and the exhale,
Notice if you can allow the breath to be relaxed and barely audible.
And smooth.
You might like to imagine the breath like a paint stroke.
As you inhale,
The paint stroke rises up,
And on the exhale it goes down,
And it's equal on the inhale and the exhale.
The same texture,
And width,
And length.
Now you might notice that at the end of each inhale there is a slight pause,
As well as at the end of each exhale a slight pause.
Notice if you can soften into the pauses in between the breaths.
Notice if you can relax into the space between the inhale and the exhale.
Now as you inhale,
The breath becomes more and more seamless.
As you inhale and exhale,
The inhale seamlessly flows into the exhale,
And the exhale seamlessly flows into the inhale.
Just like the ebb and flow of the ocean as it reaches the shoreline,
It seamlessly flows up towards the shore and flows back.
Take the next five to six breaths on your own,
Allowing the breath to be seamless between the inhale and the exhale.
Smooth.
Now very gently and slowly release any effort around breathing.
Again effortlessly breathing.
Receiving the breath,
And effortlessly letting it go.
Filling your awareness into your body,
And gently blinking open your eyes.
And then when you're ready you can take a deep breath in,
You might take a stretch,
And re-enter your day in your own time.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Notice the quality of your mind reflected in the quality of your breath.
