Beginner Breath Work

Oh, hi. I thought we would spend a little few moments here together, breathing with one another. And introducing the concept or the technique of box breathing, which some of you may be familiar with, or at least perhaps heard the mumblings of the name of this breathing technique out there in the ether. Before we dive into the technique itself, a couple things to touch on in general around breath work. How are we sitting?

Do I have to sit? Can I lie down? Can I be in a chair? Do I have to be on the floor? So many things. Right? The big thing is that whether you are seated on earth on a piece of furniture or you're choosing to lie down as you do this We're looking for a place where your spine can be lengthened. Your chest can be lifted, and the arms are free. That for some of us may mean we'd like some back support. You can bring yourself near a wall.

If you are sitting in a chair and you sit all the way back, there's sometimes a tendency to slump. And if you're sitting right now, maybe take a moment to slump and try to take a full breath in. It doesn't go quite so well. Right? When you sit a little taller, there's more space, there's more expands for the breath to move freely. So when sitting in a chair, that might look like sitting towards the front edge of the chair, making sure that the feet connect to something.

So if your feet are dangling, maybe putting a prop or a stool underneath them, or if you're sitting back in your chair, giving yourself something, a rolled blanket, a pillow at the lumbar spine to help you get a little more neutral on your sit bones so that you can create a more lifted heart. Box breathing to give a brief overview of it. Clostically, it's an inhale up. I'll draw the box with you. We hold the breath as we go across the top of the box, and then we exhale down the side of the box, and then we hold the breath out to complete the square or the box. The breath has four parts to it.

In inhale, there is a natural pause that exists at the top of every breath, an exhale, and a natural pause that exists at the base of each breath. Now the retention, the holding for an extended period of time in those retentions, the fullness at the top of the breath, and the emptiness at the base of the breath is not something that is of purpose or of service to all of us. So if you tend towards panic or anxiety, skip the retention. If you're pregnant, skip the retention. Also issue with pressure behind the eyes or high blood pressure in general at times can be aggravated by holding retention.

And so with this, if you're like It's me. I'm on that list. Instead of holding for the same count in the retention as you are holding or as you are breathing in or breathing out, I'll invite you instead to focus on breathing in, notice the natural pause, and then breathe out for the same amount. So our square will become like the teeniest little rectangle in all of the land. When I started this technique initially, I started with a count of three. So I'd breathe in for three. I'd hold for three.

I'd breathe out for three. I'd hold out for three. This is gonna vary depending on your lung capacity. So you might feel stunted at a three count breath. You might feel like two was plenty.

I will allow you to set your own count as we go throughout. And if the count feels restrictive to you, visualize the square. Let go of the count and feel for evenness through each side. Is that enough to think about? So this work can be done either with eyes closed. If you feel comfortable doing so, that for some of us will help bring our drifty, our point of focus within quieting the mind.

For others, we prefer to be aware of our surroundings. So you might instead find a point on the earth out in front of you to softly focus on. So as you find a seat that is supported that allows you to be lifted, or if you're choosing to lie down in a way that allows your chest to be lifted, your low back to be lengthened. And either close your eyes or find a point to softly focus on. Before we put any parameters on the breath, Tune in to your natural pattern and pace.

Maybe observing with curiosity if one side of your breath is a little longer than the other. Or vice versa. And if visualization is an aid for you, With your next breath in, imagine the breath for drawing a line upward. And as you breathe out, trace back down that same line. And do this a few times through.

Either feeling for a place. Where the trace of the line up and back down feels even. Or if the count is an aid to you, count the length of your next breath in. And see if you can stretch the length of your breath out to match. And perhaps you stay with this pathway up the line and back down the line.

If it feels appropriate or of purpose today for you, continue tracing the line And take a moment of pause to acknowledge the natural pause at the top of the breath. The natural pause at the base of the breath. And if this feels like a purposeful edge to meet today, stay here. Otherwise, we'll expand that singular line into four. Before we meet the square, we'll draw a rectangle.

So trace a pathway up with your breath in. Pause in the fullness of your breath for half the time you breathed in. Trace a path down the other side of the rectangle. For twice as long as you held. And then trace the bottom side of the triangle.

For half as long as your breath out. And if the mind got a little overwhelmed with the math, I just through at you know that that's common if this is a new practice. To give an example, it might look like me breathing in for a count of four. Me pausing at the top of my breath for a count of two, me breathing out for a count of four, and pausing for a count of two. Continuing round wego.

And you may stay here in your rectangle. If you're finding the retention, agitating, go back to the even breath in, perhaps noticing the pause. And the even breath out noticing the pause. If the body feels it would be of service to explore the full square today, lean in. And if it doesn't, choose kindness.

If it's of service, invite your count of the breath in to be the same as the hold of the breath at the top, the count of your breath out, the same, and the hold at the base of the breath the same. Take one more full cycle of whatever pathway of the breath you're following. And then letting go of any shape or count. Allow your body to breathe you. Whatever pattern comes naturally.

Maybe placing hands on thighs if they're not already there. And I like to give a little need to my legs, or you can place the hands on the body anywhere you'd like. Just tapping back into the physical. If you have your eyes closed, rub your hands together generating a little warmth, a little heat, and then cup your hands over your eyes. Blink your eyes open into your hands, allowing little streams of light to find their way in.

Shift your gaze downward towards the heels of your palms as you release your hands to your thighs, taking in the earth or anything that may be in front of you. And as you're ready, lift your gaze, taking in your space. So know that we don't have to do all of these pieces in one time. Maybe you pick one balancing the breath in how in Excel is a great way to even and study the mind. The retention if it's safe for your body to do so can be another way to, calm your nervous system. Alright.

Thanks for spending some time breathing with me today.