Breathing into Stress

Hello, it's Eve here. Welcome to this short mindful breathing exercise for those moments where you feel overwhelmed by stress. So let's begin by taking a big, deep breath in through the nose and then out through the mouth. Just to help settle us into this exercise. There is a lot about life that can cause us to feel stressed, and very often that list is long. And if you're feeling particularly stressed right now, I'm sorry. For the next few minutes, let's try to set that list aside if we can. So in this exercise, we're going to do a very simple breathing exercise together. Deep breathing helps to send a signal to the brain that we are okay. It activates the calming centers of the body which helps to create some space. A space in which we can choose to respond to our stress in a more skillful way. Often taking a moment before we react to stressful situations can make all the difference. So getting comfortable wherever you are sitting, taking a moment to feel the contact of your body on the chair or the surface beneath you. That sense of your body being held and supported. The feet on the floor. And you can close your eyes if that feels right for you, or just adopting a soft downward gaze. So first bringing the attention to the breath. Noticing where you feel it. Perhaps in the nose, the throat, the chest, or the diaphragm. And we're going to be taking some deep breaths in through the nose for four, holding it for four, and then breathing out the mouth for six. And with the out-breath you can even let out a sigh. Also that it's loud enough that you can hear the breath. So let's begin. Taking a big deep breath in for four, two, three, four. Hold it for four, two, three, four. Now breathing out the mouth for six, two, three, four, five, six. That's great. So deep breath in for four, two, three, four. And holding it for four, two, three, four. And breathing out for six, two, three, four, five, six. One more time. Deep breath in for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. And then out for six, two, three, four, five, six. One final deep breath in for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. And out for six, two, three, four, five, six. That is great. Thank you for doing that with me. So gently allowing your breathing to return to its natural rate and rhythm. You did really great. So connecting in with the different points of contact in the body, the feet on the floor, the back pressing against the chair, the hands in the lap. Opening the eyes if you had them closed, and taking in the whole space that you're in, Making note of all the different physical objects. Perhaps taking in what is outside as well if...