Here's a guided breath awareness session for you

Today's episode is a continuation of the conversation we started in the previous episode, number 18, about breathing, about how nasal and diaphragmatic breathing is the healthiest, breathing pattern for everyday life while we are awake and while we are sleeping. If you haven't already, you will want to listen to episode 18 is that discussion is just a nice introduction to nasal diaphragmatic breathing. That's the healthiest way to breathe.

Science is showing in today's episode, I share a guided breath awareness session that I created as a means for getting to know your breath and for helping you to discover where and how you might make the shift towards nasal. Diaphragmatic breathing. This episode is one you can listen to often as there is always something new to be discovered about your breath. Plus it's a great stress buster. It will help you relax. The session is best done sitting or laying down.

You can use a chair or cushion if you want to sit either way, find a space where you can safely close your eyes if you want to and where you will not be interrupted. Before you get started, I want to provide some safety guidance. While breathwork is a very safe modality, you should check with your medical provider to see if it is safe and healthy for you, especially if you have any respiratory issues or diseases, epilepsy, mental health challenges.

And if you are pregnant it's important to check in with your doctors for some breathing techniques are recommended and others are not follow what you know is safe and healthy for your body. I hope you find this guided session helpful. If you have any questions, be sure to email me. My email is Pam at strandfitnessonline. com. My email address is also in the show notes below. So without further ado, here is the guided session. Enjoy. Welcome to this breath awareness session.

Today we're just going to spend a few moments connecting with our breath and observing what that experience is like. A breath awareness session is a great way to bring some relaxation into your body and to rejuvenate your energy. In fact, the mere act of spending a few moments observing your breath does a lot for relieving stress and renewing your energy.

So I invite you to find your comfortable position, whether that's seated on a cushion on the floor, or in a chair, or laying on the floor, wherever you're comfortable, and wherever you will not be interrupted for the next few moments. If you're in a chair, Make sure you can sit comfortably with the back of the chair supporting your back. If you're sitting on the floor, on a cushion, make sure you're up against a piece of furniture or a wall, just again to support your back.

If you're on the floor, I invite you to bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor and let your arms fall to your side, palms up. If you're in a seated position, gently rest your hands in your lap or on your thighs. Just soften a little bit. And relax, but not so much to invite sleep. Just want to be able to be calm. No stress, no strain on the body here. Wiggle around a little bit to find your resting spot for the next several moments.

If you haven't already, close your eyes if that's comfortable for you. If not, just have a soft gaze. Breathe in and out through your nose if that's comfortable. And if it's not, it's just fine to be breathing in and out through your mouth. Relax your jaw, relax your eyes, your eye sockets, your eyelids. Maybe if you're still squinting as if you're sitting under the, looking at your computer. Just relax the eyes, relax the ears. Let your tongue move to the roof of your mouth, to the soft palate.

See if you can't create a little suction there so the belly of your tongue is up against the roof of your mouth. If you're breathing through your mouth, you may not be able to do this, so you'd want to let your tongue just rest at the bottom of your jaw and just notice your breath. If at any time your mind wanders away from the breath, don't worry. Just bring it right back. No judgment, no need to criticize yourself for letting your mind wander because your mind wanders. It's just what it does.

So bring the mind back and tune your attention to your breath. And let's focus on what it feels like breathing in and out through your nose, or if you're breathing through your mouth, what it feels like to breathe in and out through your mouth. What is, what's that sensation like? Do you notice any difference in the temperature when you inhale versus your exhale? Do you notice any muscles tensing on your inhale? Any facial muscles?

If so, see if you can relax them and keep them soft as you breathe, in and out through the nose, in and out through the mouth. Just notice what that sensation is. And then let's move to the throat. Can you feel your breath in and out through your throat? Try relaxing your throat, your neck, maybe bringing your throat to the back of your neck if that makes sense. And just feel what it feels like to have the air flowing in and out. up and down your throat.

Again, if your mind has wandered, bring it back to the sensation of the air, moving up and down your throat. And now if you would like, place one hand on your chest, right in the middle of your chest, and the other hand just a little bit below your belly button. And let's follow the breath. So it moves from your throat into your lungs. And as it does that, what's the movement in your torso? Do you feel the movement? Is your chest moving? Is your belly moving? Or maybe a little of both?

And what's your breath like? Is it moving kind of quickly? Or is it slow? Are you breathing somewhat shallow? Lightly, or you have a deep, strong breath going on. Either one is fine, we're just noticing right now. So leaving your hands on your chest and on your abdomen, just go back up to your face and your throat. Has tension eased back in or eased into those areas? If so, relax them. So we're going to envision our diaphragm.

That's the major muscle for bringing our breath in and pushing our breath out. And the diaphragm sits right underneath the curve of the ribs, right below the sternum, that V shape, that inverted V. Diaphragm's tucked up in there when it's relaxed. And when you inhale, your diaphragm expands, almost like a sphere shape. Take the hand that's on your belly and move it up into that V on the ribs. Again, what's moving most here? Is it your chest? Is it your belly?

Now let's see if we can Focus on the diaphragm. And notice, as you inhale, the breath really starts in the diaphragm. It's pulling the air in. Maybe you can feel that timing, the belly expanding as the diaphragm expands. And then in the next instant, you may feel the air coming in through your mouth or your nose. See if you can sense that. And on the way out, the diaphragm relaxes, pushes the air out. So you may feel your chest or your belly. Relaxing or falling.

Again, in the next moment, you might feel the warm air coming out your mouth or your nose. Go ahead and release your hands. If you're seated, bring them back to your lap. If you're laying down, bring them back to your side. Continuing to be aware of your breath and what that sensation is in your body. Wherever you want to focus, focus your attention there. And then I want to see if you can turn the control of your breath over to the body. Just relax. And let the body breathe on its own.

And you are just the observer. You're the one going along for the ride. What is this sensation like? To let the body breathe the way it wants to breathe, and way it needs to breathe. And as we come to the end of this awareness session, just want you to do a brief scan. What does it feel like on the inside? What have you created here? What has your breath created here for you? If the experience isn't extremely positive, that's okay. Just sit with it. Be patient.

If you notice a positive feeling on the inside, just savor that for a moment. And on your next inhale, inhale some movement into the body. Wiggling your hands, your fingers, your toes. Maybe gently contracting and releasing some muscles. Just notice when you do that, what happens to the breath. And where the mind goes. Is the mind here still watching your breath? Feeling the movement that you're bringing back into your body? Let's just take a nice, slow inhale.

And when you need to, take a nice, slow exhale. Nice and slow. Let's do that one more time. A nice, slow, long inhale. And a nice, slow, long exhale. And when you're ready, gently open up your eyes. And may peace be with you for the remainder of the day.