Core Breathing Meditation

Congratulations! You made it 14 days! Regulating your nervous system and relieving stress through Daily Breathing Breaks is so rewarding! Today, let's revisit Core Breathing Technique (from Day 1) with your newly honed skills of awareness, mindfulness and appreciation.

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Uneven Breathing: Energizing

Up until now, you’ve practiced Breathing Techniques that promote relaxation; today you'll practice an energizing breath!

When your exhale is short, forceful and full, it clears out stagnant energy and energizes you.

This is great to do in the middle of your day if you're feeling dull or tired. Practice Here:

Four Square Breathing

Your breath cycle is infinitely more nuanced than a simple “inhale” and “exhale.” As you become more intimate with your respiratory cycle, you’ll notice a reverberation from your inhale that continues to fill and nourish your body. You’ll notice a residue from your exhale that lingers, allowing you a moment of pause and reflection.

Today, you’ll explore these concepts in “four square breathing technique.” Practice Here:

Extended Exhale Breathing: 4- 8

Traditional Extended Exhale Breathing doubles the count of your exhale in relationship to your inhale. This is a message to your nervous system to regulate. Today's Breathing Break uses the count of 4 on your inhale and 8 on your exhale.

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Intro to Extended Exhale Breathing

Extended Exhale Breathing consciously elongates your exhalation, which is an instant message to your nervous system that it's ok to calm down.

You'll be counting the length of your exhale in today's Breathing Break, but avoid forcing it. Instead, observe how your stress dissolves and your mindset re-sets when your exhale is longer than your inhale.

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Equal Duration Breathing: Wave of Breath

Equal Duration Breathing is a go-to Breathing Break if you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed.

Your inhale is like a wave in the ocean: rising, cresting, and then dissolving back into the sea from which it arose. Visualize the wave of your breath washing away unnecessary tension or stress.

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Equal Duration Breathing: Balance and Ease

Equal Duration Breathing is often called sukha or "sweet" breath because it invites a sense of ease and sweetness to the experience of your breath. You'll use 6 counts in and 6 counts out, sprinkling in the words: "Balance and Ease" in today's Breathing Break.

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Equal Duration Breathing

Equal Duration Breathing creates equilibrium in your mind by consciously matching the length of your inhale with the length of your exhale. You'll use 4 counts in and 4 counts out for today's Breathing Break.

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Compassionate Breath

Learning a new skill can be difficult, it often incites a kernel of self-judgment. In this Breathing Break, your primary aim is self-compassion. Visualize your breath as a glass egg, cradled with tenderness. Practice self-compassion by treating each breath as valuable.

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Breathing in, I know...

In this Breathing Break, you'll become aware of each breath by quietly repeating the sentiment: "Breathing In, I know I am Breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am Breathing out." This is one of my favorite practices, modified from the Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Naht Hanh.

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Counting 1 to 10

Counting your breath cycles hones your ability to focus on one thing at a time. In this Breathing Break, you'll count 1 to 10. It's a simple, yet profound exercise that trains your mind to stay in the present moment.

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I am Here, This is Now.

Your breath is an anchor to the Present Moment is that is free and always accessible. In this Breathing Break, you'll use the mantra, "I am Here; This is Now" to anchor yourself in the Present Moment.

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Sustaining Attention

Sustaining attention on your breath can be difficult; your nervous system is continually processing an onslaught of information and trying to decide what is important and what is not important for you to focus on.

In this Breathing Break, you'll make a quiet notation of each inhale as "breath," each exhale as "breath" and everything else is simply, "not breath."

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