You are right on time to breathe, Shea!
This six-minute flow is designed to activate the relaxation response and invite in some peace.
Bring attention to your lower ribs with the inhale and the abdominal on the exhale during the flow. Add in the hands to reconnect with the body - left hand on left rib and right hand beneath belly button.
The three-part inhale divides a single inhale into three parts. You can think about the parts as anatomical — abdomen, ribs, chest — or you can think about it as building to capacity — sip, sip more, sip all of the way.
Get curious if you feel more relaxed or activated after this one. Even though you spend more time in the inhalation phase, you are also stimulating the sigh neurons in the brainstem, that help increase oxygen in the lungs, which can provide more relaxation.
Worksheets
Daily Breath Check-In
Print out this sheet to assist you or your clients in developing your/their mindful breathing practices. You can begin to map the connection between emotions and certain breathing techniques. The celebration piece at the end is just as important as the conscious breathing because the active recognition activates the brain’s reward system and releases dopamine. Access it.
Breathing Bookends
Use this worksheet to begin to identify what activities you want to add some conscious breaths to during your day. Since we are a result of our patterns, pair tasks you avoid or spend a lot of time on with conscious breathing to reimagine what is possible. Access it.