Breathing Meditation

As I prepare to try deep-breathing practices, here are a few things to keep in mind：​

• Take It Easy at the Start

• Move the Breath to the Belly

• Breath work floods the brain with oxygen

• Find a Breath Work Practice That Resonates With Me

Please choose the benefits of deep breathing:

• Regulates the nervous system.

• Promotes emotional wellbeing.

• Enhances vitality.

• Boosts respiratory performance.

• Improves biochemical and metabolic processes.

One way to do breath meditation should contain:____

• Find a suitable posture.

• Bring your attention to the natural sensations of the breath in the body.

• Try to follow the breath through full cycles, from the beginning of an inhalation to the end of an exhalation, and then on to the next cycle.

• Thoughts may enter the mind. This is natural. Simply allow them to arise and pass.

• If a chain of thought hijacks your attention and you lose awareness of the breath, gently return your attention to the sensations of breathing.

Deep breathing is known as yogic breathing, which is the voluntary regulation of breath by consciously and actively using the diaphragm to increase the inflow and outflow of air, as well as to decrease the frequency of each breathing cycle.

• YES

• NO

Please choose the type of breathing patterns:

• Abdominal breathing

• Thoracic breathing

• Clavicular breathing

• All above

When you practice the breath awareness, you should_____.

• Sitting in an upright position, or lying down on your back, find a comfortable position that you can sustain for a few minutes.

• Release any unnecessary tension and gently bring your awareness to your breath. You only need to observe your breath; do not change anything.

• Observe the movements and sensations in your body with each inhalation and exhalation.

• Let your attention travel with the air passing through your nose and throat to your lungs, feeling the expansion of the chest and belly.

When you practice Yogic breathing, you should_____.

a.Focusing on your natural breath, think of intentionally sending the air toward the navel by letting your abdomen expand and rise freely.

b.Draw your attention to your hands as they rise and fall as you breathe. You can start counting as you inhale and exhale, keeping the same ratio. For example, you can count up to four on each inhale, and four on each exhale.

c.Breathing and thinking of sending the rest of the air into the ribcage, allowing it to expand fully. Continue to inhale the remaining amount of air you can by letting the collarbone and shoulders to rise.

d.Exhale slowly by first dropping the shoulders and collarbone, then relaxing the ribcage and finally releasing the abdomen. Repeat this for a few minutes.

• a-c-b-d

• a-c-d-b

• b-c-a-d

• d-c-a-b