Simple 20-minute Breathing Exercise
A breathing practice does not need to be lengthy or too challenging, but it does need to be consistent.
*Here is a sample practice that takes about 20 minutes. It may also be broken into segments, each being a practice onto itself.
1. Sit comfortably with spine straight, shoulders relaxed, neck soft. Breathe only through the nose. Inhale. Concentrate. Feel the cool air enter the nostrils. Exhale. Feel the warm air exit. Relax. Focus on this flow of cool to warm. The transition. This simple flow. In with the cool, out with the warm. If thoughts enter the mind, let them go, return to the breath. Cool in, warm out. The breath is your anchor. Gentle. Rhythmic. Close your eyes. Continue for 2 minutes. Relax into the NOW.
2. Place your hands together, fingers interlocked. No pressure. Relax. Place your hands below the navel, palms facing inwards against the lower belly. Think of the intertwined hands as the BASKET. Breathe deep into the BASKET, filling it with the breath — which is, in fact, the abdominal organs being pressed downwards and outwards by the flattening of the diaphragm. Fill the basket. Relax and slowly exhale. Repeating this for a total of 14 conscious breaths.
3. Alternate nostril breathing: Place your left hand, palm down, in your lap, and lift your right just in front of your face. With your right hand, bring your index finger and middle finger to rest just above your eyebrows. Take a nasal breath, drawing the air deep into the belly. Use a 2 to 4 second beat for inhalation. Exhale slowly for 6 to 8 seconds. Now… Close your right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril slowly and steadily for 2 to 4 seconds. Close the left nostril with your ring finger so both nostrils are held closed; retain your breath at the top of the inhale for a short pause. Open your right nostril and release the breath slowly through the right side for 4 to 8 seconds; cover both nostrils and pause again at the bottom of the exhale. Both pauses, top and bottom, should be of equal length, say 2 to 4 seconds. Inhale through the right side slowly. Hold both nostrils closed (with ring finger and thumb). Open your left nostril and release breath slowly through the left side. Pause again at the bottom. Repeat, training your mind to follow your inhales and exhales. Combining alternate nostril breathing with lengthened pauses and mindfulness of the flow of air, all intended to reduce anxiety and foster relaxation. Continue for 14 complete breaths.
4. Sit quietly. Inhale gently. Feel the belly distend as the diaphragm contracts, pulling the ribcage down. Exhale. Feel the belly flatten as the diaphragm relaxes, returning to its domed shape. Begin an inner dialogue. Tell your neck to relax. Feel the blood flowing up the carotid arteries to the brain. Talk to your shoulders, face, hands, feet. Allow them to relax. Tell your heart to slow down. Now... Inhale through the nose to a count of 4 (seconds). Exhale through pursed lips to a count of 6 (seconds). Continue this simple practice for 2 minutes, or 12 breaths. Then … Close your mouth and breathe quietly though the nose. At least 1 minute. Feel the relaxation.
5. Breathe quietly for one minute. In the nose. Out the nose. Deep down, into the belly. Become conscious of the inflow and outflow of air. Feel the diaphragm flatten upon inhalation as the bottom ribs expand laterally. Feel the diaphragm relax as you exhale. Massaging the abdominal organs, massaging the heart. At the end of one minute, exhale softly — not forcibly - and pause (holding the breath). A pause of 20 seconds after exhalation is fine as you acclimate to the build-up of carbon dioxide. Then, breathe 3 complete breaths — into the lower abdomen, up into the mid-chest and fully into the upper chest, — and exhale through an open mouth; — do not force the exhale. Allow the breath to simply fall from your mouth;, at the end of the 3rd breath, - pause for 30 seconds. Next, breathe 4 full breaths, filling the lungs completely, exhale at the end of the 4th breath, and pause for 35 seconds. You should begin to feel a need to breathe as the carbon dioxide builds in your system during the pauses (holds). That is natural. Your body is adapting, learning to tolerate more and more C02 as you place a greater demand upon it.
*Take a minute here, and breathe quietly through the nose, allowing the body to re-balance and adapt. Then … 5 more breaths. This time visualizing the breath going up the (soft) neck and feeding the brain. At the end of the 5th breath, exhale. Pause for 40 seconds. Now, take 6 breaths. Big, full breaths. Exhale. At the bottom of the 6th breath, pause for 1 minute. Finish with 7 breaths. Exhale. Pause for as long as you can, without extreme discomfort. You will be slightly acidic at this point, due to the build-up of carbon dioxide (during the pauses). Finish this exercise by taking a full breath in and holding for 10 seconds with lungs full. This, effectively, resets the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide. Exhale, through the mouth … Then … For a full minute, breathe quietly, initially exhaling gently through pursed lips with an emphasis on long exhalations, allowing your body to return to an acid/alkaline balance, or homeostasis. As the minute continues and breathing regulates, close your mouth, and move the breath back to the belly, so that during the last part of the minute (10 to 20 seconds) you are using only lower abdominal breathing. Sipping the air, not gulping it. Samurai breathing. Don’t ruffle the imaginary feather at the base of the nostrils. Be in a place of rest.
6. This should be done seated in a chair, hip bones firmly in touch with the seat, feet flat on the floor, spine straight but not rigid, neck soft and relaxed, breathing consciously in through the nose and out through pursed lips to a cadence of 5 beats (seconds) in and 5 beats (seconds) out. *Push down with the soles of the feet, to create tension (stress) in the thighs and hips. Establish a relaxed breathing rhythm then: Using a broomstick, plant the stick directly in front of you, standing it upright between the knees, one end firmly on the floor, the other pointed at the ceiling. Gripping the stick with both hands, palms facing you, with the top hand at chin level, elbows raised in line with the gripping hands, inhale through the nose to a count of 5 while pulling the stick, as if to break it in two. Continue to push against the floor with the feet. This will cause a contraction of the muscles in the feet, the legs, hips, back and shoulders, with secondary stress on the chest and abdomen. You should feel the contraction. Pause the breath at the end of the inhale for 2 seconds (or beats) as you continue the contraction. Exhale through pursed lips to a count of 5 while pushing inwards against the stick as if to break it the other way. Continue to push with the feet. Pause the breath for 2 seconds at the end of the exhale while continuing the contraction. This will focus on the legs, shoulders, and chest with secondary tension in the back and abdomen. You should feel the pectoralis muscles of the chest contract. Repeat 4 to 10 times (each inhale-exhale cycle counting as 1 repetition). THEN: Relax the feet and legs, place the stick aside and change the breathing pattern, inhaling through the nose for a count of 4 and exhaling through pursed lip to a count of 6 (making 6 breaths per minute). Feeling the residual tension in the muscles of the torso exit with the breath. *Keep the neck soft and relaxed to ensure blood flow to the brain (cerebral blood flow). When exhaling, visualize the tension leaving the muscles. Releasing the feet, hands, face, neck, shoulders, and chest. Become aware of this tension, or stress, as you let it go.
7. Close your right nostril with your right thumb and breathe only through the left for two minutes — slow, soothing breaths, lengthening the exhalation, and pausing the breath briefly at both top and bottom. Breathing only through the left nostril, connected to the right hemisphere of the brain; this creates a parasympathetic response. Bringing body and mind to a restful state.
8. Finish with ‘mokusu’ or quiet focus. Consciously breathing. Sitting comfortably with spine straight, shoulders relaxed, neck soft. Breathe only through the nose. Inhale. Concentrate. Feel the cool air enter the nostrils for a count of 4 beats (or seconds), Exhale for 6 beats. Feel the warm air exit. Relax. Focus on this flow of cool to warm. The transition. This simple flow. In with the cool, out with the warm. In with energy, out with stress. If thoughts enter the mind, let them go, return to the breath. Cool in, warm out. Energy in, Stress out. The breath is your anchor. Gentle. Rhythmic. Close your eyes. Relax into the NOW.
Repetition makes the master.
A practice must be sustainable.
Life & breath.
