Belly Breathing

Belly breathing. Find a comfortable seat on a chair or cushion and sit with a relaxed and upright posture. It can be helpful to sit on a cushion so that your backside is lifted, which can help your torso to feel more open and relaxed. Place one hand just below your belly button and the other on top. Breathe in gently and as you exhale open your mouth and let out a gentle sigh or “ah” sound, and as you do, relax the muscles in your face, shoulders, stomach, and chest, and let go of all the tension in your upper body.

 

Next, inhale slowly through your nose and into your belly, feeling your belly expand, and exhale through your mouth, letting your belly relax as it releases the air. Keep breathing in this way, maintaining a relaxed and slow pace that feels natural to you. Inhale slowly through your nose and into your belly, feeling your belly expand and exhale through your mouth, letting your belly relax as it releases the air.

 

You want to avoid holding your breath or breathing too quickly in a way that might limit the oxygen supply to the belly,  and if you start to yawn or feel light-headed, just slow the breathing down. Following a relaxed and easy pace, breathing in through your nose as you feel your belly expand and out through your mouth as you let your belly relax.

 

Continue breathing in this way for one minute, and when you're ready to finish, return to how you would breathe normally, and take a moment to notice how you feel, not necessarily looking for anything or expecting any change, but just experiencing how you feel.