Meditation Skill 00
How to transform stress breathing into diaphragmatic breathing.
1: Cultivate MINDFULNESS OF BODY.
Diaphragmatic Breathing.
Meditation Instructions.
Your first step is to learn to develop relaxation and calm by retraining any stress-breathing patterns that may be present. Simple changes in the way that you breathe will lower your experience of stress and anxiety, creating the conditions for relaxation in your body & mind.
I recommend practicing this meditation to retrain your stress-breathing patterns and lower the experience of stress and anxiety for 3-4 weeks or until you naturally breathe in your diaphragm rather than with your chest. This breathing technique changed my life and the lives of many other people who were ready to develop an understanding of their mind and body to remove the conditions for stress and anxiety.
YouTube: Video Instructions.
SoundCloud: Guided Meditation.
.............................................
- Set a countdown timer on your phone, set to do not disturb, and place it behind you.
- Meditation Length: 20 minutes daily.
- Benefits: This skill will desensitise your mind's tendency to respond to stress and anxiety in daily life. It will also help you make diaphragmatic breathing a natural part of your practice in preparation for mindfulness of breathing.
- Purpose: Retrain your breathing patterns to settle the experience of stress and anxiety in preparation for deeper states of calm and insight during mindfulness of breathing.
..........
Summary:
Lay comfortably on the floor, placing your palms bellow your belly button.
- Take 5 in & out-breaths by slowly raising and lowering your abdomen.
- Take 5 more breaths while slowing the movement to increase relaxation.
- Next, take 5 more breaths, now from your abdomen into your chest.
- Lie still, relaxing, and allow your breathing to happen by itself.
.............................................
Instructions:
- Start by lying on the floor. If needed, use a pillow under your head and a rolled blanket under your knees.
- Place both palms below your belly button, pressing slightly inwards so that you can feel the movement of your belly as you breathe.
..........
Step 1: Take 5 breaths by slowly raising and lowering your abdomen.
Slowly raising and lowering your abdomen will remind your body to diaphragmatically breathe.
Lie down and try these steps:
- Gently raise your palms away from your body by slowly extending the lower part of your abdomen upwards. Then, lower your palms by slowly lowering your abdomen. Do this a few times until you are comfortable with the movement to begin Step 2.
Tip: Notice that air is drawn in through your nose when your abdomen rises and expelled out again as your lower abdomen falls.
..........
Step 2: Take 5 more breaths while slowing the movement to increase relaxation.
Slowing down the movement will increase carbon dioxide reabsorption and the calming effect of diaphragmatic breathing.
When you feel comfortable, add this to step 1:
- Take five more relaxing breaths while slightly slowing down the raising and lowering of your abdomen. Then rest in this relaxation for a while before moving onto Step 3.
Tip: Slowing your breathing rate will increase the feeling of relaxation. It is important to keep this movement relaxed so that it feels comfortable for you.
..........
Step 3: Next, take 5 more breaths, now from your abdomen into your chest.
Breathing from your abdomen up into your chest will open your chest and further increase the relaxation and calming effect.
When you feel relaxed, add this to step 2:
- Bring one palm to the top of your chest, leave the other below your belly button.
- Slowly breathe in from your belly button, extending your ribs out slightly sideways and allow the breath to fill your chest like a balloon.
- At the end of the in-breath, allow your whole body to relax with the slow out-breath repeating five times with slow, gentle breaths, free from strain.
..........
Step 4: Lie still, relaxing, and allow your breathing to happen by itself.
Laying still and allowing your breathing to happen by itself will aid in retraining your breathing patterns and deepen the relaxation and calming effect of the meditation.
When finished step 3, add these steps:
- Stop controlling your breathing and allow it to happen by itself while noticing its calming effect. Enjoy any relaxation and calm that may be present.
- If you find that your mind is controlling your breathing, distract yourself by being aware of different parts of your body as you relax allow them to relax.
............................................
Tip: At this stage of meditation, thinking about the past and future, mind wandering and falling asleep are not a problem; your main aim is to gently teach your body to breathe naturally, in an unstressed way, so that your body and mind can relax.
When retraining stress breathing patterns, it is important to acknowledge that you are working with a habit. Because habit plays a role in stress and anxiety, you may find at first that diaphragmatic breathing only occurs for a short time after your meditation before switching back to stress breathing. This is normal and a part of the process that requires clear yet kind repetition of how you would like your breathing to happen throughout the day. When working with habit, it's essential to maintain positivity and celebrate small successes, such as feeling a few moments of relaxation during meditation, rather than dwelling on what's wrong.
1. Experiencing struggle and strain.
- Be careful of over-effort or strain. Anxiety creates the desire to try to achieve, to control things within our lives, including something as fundamental as breathing. If you notice any struggle or strain, then stop what you are doing for a short while and allow yourself to relax before starting over.
- Breathing in the lower belly is enjoyable if it is done in a relaxed and gentle way. Avoid the urge to overinflate your belly or to try harder; slow, gentle movement is the key.
- Feel your way into this simple exercise. When the rhythm is correct, it will feel good, and the feeling of relaxation and calm in your body and mind will increase. This will offer you direction in your meditation.
..........
2. Feeling light-headed.
- Because you are not used to breathing so slowly, you may experience some light-headedness. Whenever you experience this, stop the exercise for a while and allow yourself to stay still until the symptoms settle down. Generally, after 10 seconds, this feeling will settle, leaving you feeling calmer & more relaxed. Once it has settled, you can resume your training. With regular practice, this light-headed feeling will gradually lessen and no longer happen.
***See your doctor if light-headedness persists***
..........
3. Feeling like you don't have enough air.
- If stress breathing is normal for you, then you may feel as if you are not getting enough air when you slow your breathing rate. If this feeling arises, it's okay to take a few extra breaths to settle it down. Once your belly breathing movement slows down, the feeling of needing more air will gradually go away.
..........
4. Your breathing feels tight.
- If you feel a tightness in your lower chest when you breathe in, you may be breathing in from the top of your chest downwards in an attempt to push your breath down into your belly.
- It can be helpful to think of your diaphragm as an upside-down plunger. When you pull the handle downward the plunger will suck in air, as you push it back up it expels it. To engage your diaphragm muscle, raise the lower part of your belly slowly upwards rather than trying to push air down into your belly from your chest. Placing your palms below your belly button will allow you to feel your belly movement as you breathe.
- SoundCloud: Guided Meditation.
Once familiar with diaphragmatic breathing, you can calm stress reactions in your daily life by intentionally taking slow abdominal breaths. To do this, check in during your day and ask yourself one question:
“Where am I breathing now? Is it in my chest or my belly?”
If you notice that you are stress breathing, then:
- Place your palms just below the belly button.
- Slowly extend your lower belly outwards to draw a breath in. Slowly lower it back again to allow the breath out.
- Do this for 5 slow in and out breaths.
- Wait for 10 seconds and observe any change in your mind, body, and breathing.
This will help you refine your technique and gain insight into the relationship between your breathing patterns throughout the day and feelings of stress & anxiety. Apply this method a few times per day. Not obsessively, but by just checking in at key times to see how you are feeling today.
You are ready to progress to Meditation Skill 01: Body Relaxation when:
- You experience a feeling of relaxation and ease after taking slow breaths in your belly, and breathing in your belly, happens naturally during meditation and for a while after you have finished meditating.
Meditation for OCD.
If your mind tends toward overthinking or obsessive control, you may find that working with breathing does not help you relax. In this case I recommend teaching your mind to relax and let go by practicing daily stillness meditation.