Arriving in the breath

Completed

12 min

A gentle arrival practice. Settle the nervous system before you ask anything of the breath.

Lesson notes

Find a seat where your feet meet the floor. Let the spine lengthen without force.

Place one hand on the belly and one on the chest. Notice which hand moves first.

We are not trying to breathe better yet. We are learning to listen. Sensation is information.

Transcript

[0:00]Welcome. Find a seat where your feet can meet the floor.

[0:48]Place one hand on the belly and one on the chest.

[2:10]We are not trying to breathe better yet. We are learning to listen.

[4:05]On the next exhale, soften the jaw. Let the tongue rest.

[7:20]If the mind wanders, return to the hand that is rising and falling.

[10:40]Close with one fuller breath, then return to your natural rhythm.

This practice landed for me after the second round. Grateful for the pacing.

Same. I keep a note on my desk that just says soft jaw.

Reading this before bed helped more than pushing through another technique.