Free Gift – Calming Meditation and 3 Practices
Calming Breath Meditation
Audio is just over 11 minutes in length.
Calming Practices
- Often, we are anxious because we have stuck energy inside of us that needs to come out. This exercise will help release pent up energy. Practice it mindfully, especially if you have a low-back condition (you can skip this if there is any concern about the back).
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, or a little wider. You’ll need some space between the feet and legs, but not too much.
- Interlace the fingers of your hands together in front of you.
- As you inhale, raise the hands and arms high overhead, as if raising an axe; on the exhalation, bend your knees and swiftly bend forward from the hips while swinging the clasped hands down and through the space between your legs. Keeping the knees bent helps protect the low back.
- Then inhale and rise up with the torso and arms; repeat the action as you exhale.
- It helps to make a loud sound as you swing the arms down, like “HA!”It usually feels good to let it out loudly!
- Repeat 3 times, then rest. That may be enough for the day, but you’re welcome to repeat it again if you feel you have more energy to release.
- Begin by sitting comfortably; if you wish, this exercise can be done lying down. If it feels right, close your eyes, so you can focus your attention inward.
- Place one hand on your belly, and the other on your heart. At any time, if you get tired of holding them there, it’s fine to let them relax. But begin with a hand at each spot to bring awareness to the area.
- As you inhale, breathe down into your belly under your hand. Allow the breath to fill your torso up under your hand at the heart. Exhale slowly in reverse, from the upper chest down to the belly. Do this for a few rounds.
- Relax for a bit and notice what you feel.
- Next, we will add on a count for the breath. Inhale to a count of 4 (if possible – it’s OK to shorten either part of the breath if it’s too long for you); hold briefly; then exhale to a count of 6, and briefly hold at the bottom of the exhalation. Repeat 3-7 times, or longer if you wish!
- You can extend the exhalation even more, if it’s comfortable to you, to a 1:2 ratio (4 counts for the inhalation and 8 counts for the exhalation). Lengthening the exhalation, as long as it is relatively easy for you, encourages the relaxation response in the body.
- Again, notice how you feel. This practice calms the nervous system and also helps soothe and quiet the mind by developing a specific focus of the attention.
- Sit comfortably in a chair or on a couch. You want to be relaxed and at ease in this practice. If it feels right, close your eyes, so you can focus your attention inward.
- Pay attention to your breath. Gently and deeply inhale, and then relax as you exhale.
- Now, take one hand and place it on top of the other. Feel the warmth of the hand on top as it touches the bottom hand. Give your full attention to the experience of being touched by the top hand. Take in the warmth and the contact. Breathe into it.
- Begin to gently and slowly stroke the bottom hand with the top one. Do this with a loving, soft touch. Find a way to touch your bottom hand that feels soothing and pleasurable. As if you were a mother comforting a baby.
- Can you allow yourself to feel the sensation of being touched, kindly and lovingly, in this manner? Be present with yourself and the experience of touching your hand and being touched by your other hand.
- Hold the other hand with your top hand. Feel the embrace and stronger connection of being held. Breathe into it.
- After a few minutes of this, what do you notice? Just the practice of paying attention and becoming present with the sensations can be calming, but the gentle, loving touch is also soothing. You are taking the time to connect with yourself, and connection helps release anxiety.
- You can touch your arm, belly, or face in a similar manner. Explore how it feels to be very present, compassionate, and loving towards yourself.Notice how you feel.
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