When practiced daily, intentional breathing can shift your entire outlook. Conscious breathing has been scientifically proven to improve physical and psychological health and I think we can agree all of the above is needed right now. If you can give yourself five minutes to stop and breathe with intention today, I promise it will make a tremendous difference in how you feel.
Five minutes is nothing. We've lost more than that in line for stupid stuff we don't need. Give yourself the gift of pausing to breathe. Use the guide below to breathe in more of what you want and let go of what isn't serving you. If you have a lot pulling on your attention, you can even set a timer like I sometimes do, but you deserve five minutes to close your eyes and let it all fall away.
Sometimes, I resist this practice and give in to urgency for other things and people, but it always amazes me how refreshed I feel-- how much more kind and productive I am-- when I give myself these moments. It's a small act with a big impact on your well-being.
So, here you go:
The breath work flow I've listed below works best when you are using a breath count of about five seconds. Five seconds in, hold for one (longer if you like, but one is fine) and five seconds out. Five, one, five.
Find a quiet place to sit (gold star if you lay down), silence your phone, and remove distractions. The puppy will be fine in the other room for five minutes. Full permission to let the iPad babysit baby. Whatever you need to do to give yourself five whole delicious, breath filled minutes. The ROI on this exercise is a lighter, more present you for the rest of the day.
Read this through and then get settled. Trust yourself to remember the states you want to cultivate and the ones you want to shed. If some of the words don't resonate for you, switch them. If coming up with what you want to cultivate or release sends you on a thought goose chase, notice and come back to the breath. No judgment. Try to be the breath in your body and let the positive feeling states you seek wash over you. Feel the ones you release leave you.
Every breath will have you feeling lighter if you focus on your breath. I find it helpful to open with a few quiet breaths and end with a few quiet breaths to honor the practice and feel the difference before and after.
Enjoy!
Breathe in
Breathe out
Breathe in ease
Breathe out tension
Breathe in love
Breathe out fear
Breathe in clarity
Breathe out confusion
Breathe in health
Breathe out dis-ease
Breathe in acceptance
Breathe out judgement
Breathe in authenticity
Breathe out false pretense
Breathe in belief
Breathe out doubt
Breathe in joy
Breathe out grief
Breathe in peace
Breathe out worry
Breathe in this moment
Breathe out the past
Breathe in
Breathe out
Gently open your eyes.
Thank yourself for showing up.
Feel your wholeness.
Feel how wonderful it can be, just to be.
Feel how worthy and wonderful you are, just as you are.
Now, go enjoy this sacred day of your life.
And if this helped you, please let me know in the comments, like and share.
