“For breath is life, so if you breathe well you will live long on earth.”

— Sanskrit Proverb

Reflection:

I breathe, and I feel calm. I breathe, and I am grounded and alive. I inhale deeply, and I arrive in the present moment. I exhale slowly, and I let go of the future and the past. I breathe in and become aware of all of the sensations in my physical body. I exhale, and release all tension. I breathe in and welcome oxygen. It circulates through my bloodstream flowing to all parts of my body. I exhale and release all negative energies. I inhale, and oxygen flows to my brain; I am more focused and alert. I exhale and release all fogginess - I let it go.

Breathing is life. Quality breathing promotes a quality life. Sometimes, in our day-to-day, we become stressed or on edge. Our breath quickens and grows thin and shallow. This shallow breathing causes more stress on our bodies and we don’t feel as good as we could be feeling.

To cultivate a way to become aware of the depth of our breath throughout the day is one way to stay happy and healthy. If when we do get stressed, we are aware, we then can move toward intentional breathing. Intentional breathing is a game-changer. Many experience respiratory problems. Sometimes this is because of weakness in the lungs. "Dirga Pranayama," the type of breathing we will practice today, has multiple health benefits, including strengthening the lungs. Practicing dirga is a smart way to cultivate a mindful breathing practice that can be utilized throughout the day.

Centering Thought:

I inhale deeply; I arrive; I exhale slowly; I am at peace.

Transcript for the Guided Breath Work:

Hello. Welcome. Thank you for joining me today. I am Amy of The Mustard Seed News, and today, I am practicing Dirga. This is also called the Three-Part-Breath. The “three parts” are the abdomen, diaphragm, and chest. Do this anytime to ease feelings of fear, tension, and stress your body or your mind. It helps to quiet the mind and calm the body. To get the most out of this practice, please find a quiet and comfortable place to lie down flat on your back. If you have a yoga mat, that would be great to roll out. If you do not have a yoga mat, then a blanket will work just fine, or you could use your bed. Adjust your body so you feel good, and grounded, and at ease. Close your eyes, smile, and begin to be aware of your breath.

First, let’s just work with getting focused, and comfortable, and more aware of our breathing. Take a deep inhale through the nose. Exhale through the mouth with a loud sigh out. Inhale in through the nose; exhale. Breathe out with a loud sigh out. Inhale cool air in. Exhale with sound and feel the warmth of the air as it leaves. Inhale—deep, cool breath. Exhale—loud, warmed sigh. Inhale, hold. Exhale, let it go.

If you begin to notice your thoughts, let them drift by - let them pass and bring your attention back to your breath - back to your inhales and your exhales.

So - to begin: Dirga breathing,

Part One:

Inhale; let the breath fill your belly. Exhale; empty all the air out of your belly through your nose, drawing your navel back towards your spine, making sure that your belly is empty of air.

Inhale through your nose; fill your belly. Exhale through your nose; your navel draws in; you release all air.

Part Two:

Inhale; your belly expands. Draw in a little more breath and let that air expand into the rib cage; your ribs widen. Exhale, releasing the air from your ribs, and then from the belly, drawing the navel back towards the spine.

Inhale through your nose; fill your belly; pull up to fill your ribs. Exhale through your nose, releasing from your ribs, and then your belly; your navel draws in.

Part Three:

Inhale. Fill the belly, the ribs, and breathe in just a little more air and let it fill the upper chest, all the way up to the collarbone, causing the area around the heart to expand and rise. Exhale through your nose, releasing from your chest, your ribs, your belly.

Inhale through your nose. Fill your belly, your ribs, and pull higher filling your chest. Exhale through your nose, releasing from your chest, your ribs, and your belly.

Inhale, filling your belly, ribs, chest. Exhale through your nose, releasing from your chest, ribs, belly.

Inhale, filling your belly, ribs, chest. Exhale through your nose, releasing from your chest, ribs, belly. .

Inhale, filling your belly, ribs, chest. Exhale through your nose, releasing from your chest, ribs, belly.

Thank you for breathing with me today. I hope you have a lovely day that is full of peace and joy. From my center to yours, Namaste.

Dirga

Questions:

Are you aware of your breath?
How deeply do you breathe?
Do you find breathing calms your body?

Gratitude:

I am so thankful for my breath. I am thankful for pure, clean air.

Blessings

Thank you for joining me today! I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day! Please leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.

18: Aerate - CHARMED Through Breath Work and Art Journaling