Find your calm: 3 breathing practices
Recently I taught a local afternoon retreat called “Find Your Calm”. I offered gentle yoga and meditation practices that can be easily enjoyed at home to soothe and support our nervous systems.
Since I don’t run these afternoons often and I limit my group sizes, I thought it would be nice to share some of these really useful practices with more people, especially during the stressful times we’re living in.
So here are 3 of my favourite breathing practices for feeling calm and grounded …
The Grounding Breath
This breath can be done anywhere, anytime you want to feel more calm & grounded, but the first time you practice it you might like to sit or lie comfortable and still, and rest your eyes. Once you’re used to it, you can use it in any situation, even (or especially!) challenging ones.
Start by noticing your natural breath through your nostrils; the way it feels as it moves in and out of your body, its texture and length.
Gently lengthen your exhalation so that it’s longer than your inhalation, without forcing or struggling (you can practice this over a long period of time, slowly), eventually working towards an exhalation that is twice as long as your inhalation.
Leave a natural pause at the end of the exhalation and allow this pause to lengthen over time.
You can also use a breathing visualisation with your lengthened out-breath: imagine that you receive your inhalation through the crown of your head and down into your low belly. Imagine that your exhalations flow from your low belly down into the earth, like deep tree roots.
If you find it difficult to lengthen your exhalation, practising “Sipping the Cloud” breath may help…
Sipping the Cloud
This is also called “Staircase”, “Stair-step”, or “Viloma” breathing in various schools of yoga. I call it “Sipping the Cloud” because I really like to be reminded to approach it effortlessly and lightly. Also, I feel that the idea of the breath flowing down into the body is more grounding and effortless than imagining a staircase leading upwards. Sipping the Cloud may be helpful if you find long exhalations challenging at first. I find it really useful in stressful times.
Sit with a tall spine, or lie comfortably. Notice your natural breath and if possible, let it find its own unhurried rhythm, breathing through your nose.
Unhurriedly and gently let your inhalation float in through your nostrils in small sips, until you feel completely filled with breath to your natural capacity
If you enjoy visual meditations, you can imagine your potential inhalation as a cloud of nurturing, soothing light that floats in to your body as your breath in a series of tiny clouds.
Release your exhalation, letting it flow out fully at its own pace. You might like to imagine your exhalation flowing out into the ground. Repeat a few times, then return to noticing your natural breath. If your breath feels calmer/smoother/easier or more expansive, and your exhalation longer, then this is a good practice to enjoy at this time. If it suits, try repeating a few cycles of it, with natural, everyday breathing in between each cycle.
Chandra Bhedana “Moon-Piercing” Breath
Chandra Bhedana will really slow some people down, so don’t practice it if you’re feeling depressed or flat, only when you really do need slowing down!
First make sure that you’re warm, as this is a cooling practice. Then notice your natural, unhurried breath through your nostrils. Allow your breath to flow in gently, unhurriedly and quietly, with a feeling of receiving, not taking, the breath.
Without disturbing that quiet, gentle feeling of your breath, mentally watch your inhalation flowing in through your left nostril, and your exhalation flowing out through your right nostril.
Allow a natural pause at the end of each exhalation, before the inhalation starts to gradually flow in through the left nostril again.
You might like to imagine the breath as a stream of soothing energy flowing in through the left nostril and out through the right.
Repeat for around 20 cycles of breath, then rest, noticing the breath through both nostrils. Notice any after-effects in your breathing, or in how you feel.
I hope you enjoy these practices. They’re the ones I return to again and again whenever I need to ground and calm myself, and feel more present.
I’ve found that the more I use them, the more effective they become.
I like to remember that calmness and peace is our innate nature, even though it doesn’t feel that way sometimes!
