THE CALMING BREATH
Whatever you face on our journey today, you can use your breath to keep calm and steer your boat through choppy seas.
4-7-8 BREATHING
This is a great breathing exercise to start with. Simply breathe in through your nostrils for a slow count of 4, hold for a count of 7, and then exhale for a count of 8, pursing your lips as though you are blowing out a candle
3 MINUTE BREATHING SPACE
BELLY BREATHING
This way of breathing will help you to breathe deeply and relax the tension in your neck and chest.
Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position
Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs, and your other hand on your chest
Take a deep breath in through your nose and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move
This may feel a little weird at first – that’s OK, it’s a technique you need to learn and then practise.
BOX BREATHING
Box breathing is a powerful, yet simple relaxation technique that aims to return breathing to its natural rhythm. Use this technique to clear the mind, relax the body, and improve focus.
Sit comfortably with your back supported. Close your eyes.
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Breathe in through your nose while counting to four. Feel the air enter your lungs.
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Hold your breath whilst counting to four.
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Slowly exhale for 4 seconds through your mouth.
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Hold your breath after the exhale for a count of 4.
The Hot Flush Wave - for menopause symptom relief
Rest one hand on your belly button and allow the abdomen to soften so that you can take deeper longer breaths. As you inhale, allow the belly to gently rise into the palms of your hands and exhale out of the mouth, making a soothing sighing sound that calms the mind and releases heat.
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Now, rest one hand on your ribs.
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Feel the ribs expand out to the sides, and fill the lungs all the way up to the chest. Exhale slowly out of your mouth releasing heat and stress.
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Repeat this for 8-10 rounds of breath, slowing down your exhalation, which calms your nervous system.
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Imagine this wave of breath was the wave of a hot flush that rises in your belly and into the chest. You can visualise the hot flush as a colour, or as a wave of heat or light.
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Allow the wave to flow over and pass through you.
