Full Yogic Breath Relaxation
For a recorded audio version of this practice go here: Full Yogic breath Relaxation
Feel your body settling into the floor, consciously work your way up from your toes, systematically relaxing the whole body, one small area at a time. Focus on a smooth deep relaxed flow of breath.
Full yogic breath, start with your natural breath, then explore each area of the lungs. Stay on each stage as long as you like.
Begin by breathing right down to the bottom of the lungs, feeling the belly expand gently, and release on the exhale.
Then send breath into the sides of the ribcage, widening the body out to the sides as you breath in, relaxing your whole body on the breath out.
Then send the breath into your upper chest, expand into the space at the top of the lungs, relaxing and releasing tension on the exhale.
Then breathe into the back of your body, feel your ribcage press gently into the floor on the inhale, relaxing on the breath out.
Then combine these different areas of awareness. Taking in a comfortable sized breath and directing it first down to the belly, then into the sides of the ribcage, then into the upper chest, then into the back of the body, feel the whole body relax as you release the breath.
You might like to use the visualization of the drop of water falling into a still pool, making large ripples as it falls in, then smaller ripples that flow right to the edge of the pool, then the pool becoming calm, still and settled again. Feel the breath flowing into your body, the large ripples of breath flowing down, out, up and back through your lungs, then smaller ripples of breath flowing on to the tips of the fingers, the tips of your toes and crown of the head, then feeling the body relax into stillness as you release the breath.
Return to your natural breath and when you wish to complete your relaxation, tune into the support of the floor beneath you and the sounds of the room around you. Before gradually making your way back up to sitting. You may wish to spend some time in seated meditation. Namaste.
