Whole Body Breathing

(This exercise has been influenced by the work of Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen and Linda Hartley)

You will most likely want to read through this entire Practice once before actually doing it.

If you are in your own space it can be nice to do this practice with some low and slow background music playing. Usually better to choose music without lyrics.

Start by lying down.
Better to lie on the floor, rather than a bed, if you have a floor you can be comfortable on.

Take a minute or two and quiet your thinking mind. In order to accomplish this, begin by first taking several deep breaths.... and let the feeling of each inhale sink into your stomach area.....
Thoughts will likely continue to come, but let them go by rather than attaching your mind to what you are thinking.

Now, begin to do Heartbeat Breathing.
As you begin to quiet down.... notice if you can, your heartbeat.....
You might simply be able to feel your heartbeat pulsing in you, or you might need to feel your pulse by either placing your hand on your heart; placing your fingers on your carotid artery; or placing your fingers along either wrist. (Use any fingers other than your thumbs.)

If you initially need to use your hands to feel your pulse, see after a minute or two if you can feel your heartbeat without needing to use your hand. This would be best in the long run.

Take at least one full minute to feel your heartbeat while lying quietly.....
And then, begin to notice the inflow and outflow of your breath.....
Breathing in through your nose.... and breathing out through your nose.....
Noticing your breath for about one minute......

Now feel your breath AND your heartbeat....together......
And slowly, begin to match the rhythm of the two.....

For example: Four heartbeats for the duration of your inhale and four heartbeats for the duration of your exhale. Keep your inhale and your exhale equal in length. This is important.

As a second example: You might count your inhale for four heartbeats and then add a fifth beat as a pause or segue, prior to exhaling. Then count four heartbeats for the exhale, with an extra fifth beat as a pause or segue prior to inhaling. Whatever works for you.

You might find the duration of your breath changes from time to time. This is fine, and quite natural. For instance you might go from a four heartbeat count, to a six heartbeat count. Or you might go from a five heartbeat count to a three heartbeat count. Just be certain to adjust your breathing so that the inhalations and exhalations are once again the same duration.

When matching the duration of your breath to your heartbeat, it is important that you actually count your heartbeats and not just arbitrarily count at a predetermined pace.
You are looking to meld the activity of your heart with the activity of the breath.

After a while as you develop more experience with this practice you can just feel your heartbeats and no longer need to count.

Nothing more to do than staying with this process and noticing what you feel happening within your system.

As you stay with this process you are likely to begin to feel relaxed and at ease.

And you can simply allow this feeling of relaxation and ease to deepen.......

Breathe like this for a minimum of five minutes.

Now, let go of all that you have been doing and begin to feel your abdomen....
Use your hand if you like to feel the area of your belly button.

Now imagine that you are breathing in and out through your navel, much like you did when you were inside your mother's stomach. As you breathe in and out through your nose, have the sense that you are inhaling and exhaling through your navel.....
Notice if you can, how the breath radiates from the navel, and travels throughout your entire body....... Let your belly be free so that it can enjoy contracting and expanding.....

If you can, feel your breath traveling to every part of your body. Your legs, your feet, your arms, your hands, your neck and head, and up and down your back. Feel how the temperature of your body varies some from place to place on and in your body.

Also notice how your breath moves your body, and how you have tiny movements that seem to take place "on their own" without any trying on your part.

Also notice your surroundings.... The lighting.... different objects in the room.... the temperature in the room.... the movement of air.... the sounds in the local environment.....

Now, close your eyes and simply feel yourself all over, with your breath emanating from your navel..... Breathe like this for at least five minutes. ......

Now, feel your heartbeat again, and once again link your breathing to your heartbeat as before, but this time keeping the sense of breathing in and out through your navel. Do this with your eyes closed.

Breathe like this for at least five minutes.

Remember, when you calm your breathing you calm your body. When you calm your body, you calm your thinking and your internal dialogue. When you calm your body and your thinking, you calm your Mind.