Transcript:

Are you ready to learn to just breathe? If it feels good and safe you may close your eyes, but it is not necessary. Perhaps if your eyes are open just pick one thing to focus on in the room, a chip in the paint on the wall in front of you, a specific leaf on a tree nearby if you are sitting in a parked car. 

Let’s start with placing one hand on our belly and one hand on our chest. Now just carry on breathing like you were right before you hit play. Don’t change anything yet. 

Just settle into your breath for a moment or two. What are you noticing? Is your chest moving under your hand? Is your belly moving under your hand? 

Many of us are chest breathers meaning we don’t breathe very deeply, we only bring the oxygen down a little ways into our bodies. When we enter into those states of anxiety, frustration, anger we tend to breathe even more shallowly which sets us on a cycle of dysregulation. To bring ourselves into a more regulated, even, calm, safe space we must breathe deeply to our belly, shallow breathing or sorta deep breathing won’t get us where we want and need to be. 

So now, keeping our hands on our belly and on our chest. Let’s very consciously take a slow deep breath through your nose if possible all the way to your belly. Deep, deep. What do you notice? Did your belly fill up like a balloon? Did your belly move outwards under your hand? Did your chest stay more still and your shoulders rise this time? Continue taking these deep deep breaths to your belly or even to your toes. Very consciously  focusing on the movements of your shoulders, your chest, your belly. 

Do you start to notice a shift in your body? Are you feeling a little bit more centered, calm, grounded? 

Now let’s focus on our exhales. We will now move those big breaths of air out of our bodies. So on your next inhale breathe in deeply to your belly or toes, feeling the movements along the way. And when it is time to exhale slowly, slowly release the air allowing your shoulders to collapse, your belly to deflate, and the air to move slowly out of your mouth or nose. 

Continue now with slow deep inhales and slow deep exhales. You can count if that helps you, try three or four second intervals for each inhale or exhale working your way to five seconds if you are able, but if counting feels too tricky then just allow your body to be your guide. 

Let’s try five cycles of slow inhales and slow exhales now… 

Welcoming you back. How are you feeling? Did you notice a difference in yourself, in your body, in your mind as you took those true deep breaths? Did you feel the rest and calm and safety filling up in your body? 

Allow yourself to practice this as often as possible, you can practice almost anywhere: driving to work (of course, keep your eyes open and hands on the steering wheel though), taking a shower, while watching cartoons, when cooking dinner, while building blocks with your child. 

The very, very, very important part is the practice. We need to practice our breathing when we don’t need it so that when those moments come, those moments when we are stressed, angry, frustrated we can access this skill and this calm. 

Just breathe – it really works when we know how to do it.