Mindfulness – Yoga breathing

Try this exercise in yoga-type breathing to help calm your thoughts:

First, find a quiet place where you can ideally lie flat on your back.

Lie down flat on your back with your arms down by your sides.

Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing.  Feel how you breathe in and breathe out.  Feel how your tummy rises up and down.  Try and slow your breathing down a little.

Next, we will work up the body, slowly squeezing our muscles as we breathe in and then relaxing them as we breathe out.

So, first, squeeze the muscles in your feet as you slowly breathe in, then relax them as you slowly breathe out.

Then, repeat with the muscles in your legs.

Next, repeat with the muscles in your bum.

Now, repeat with the muscles in your tummy.

Then, repeat with the muscles in your chest.

Now we are going to do each arm in turn.

With the first arm , as you breathe in, squeeze the hand into a fist, and squeeze the rest of the arm muscles too.  Then relax them as you slowly breathe out.

Repeat with the other arm.

Next, squeeze the muscles in your shoulders as you slowly breathe in, then relax them as you slowly breathe out.

Then, for the neck, just raise your head very slightly as you slowly breathe in, then lower your head back down as you slowly breathe out.

Finally, for the face, scrunch up your face as you slowly breathe in, then relax it as you slowly breathe out.

Now, return to concentrating on your breathing.  Feel how you breathe in and breathe out.  Feel how your tummy rises up and down.

As you lie there, think about how your body feels.  Are there any muscles that still do not feel relaxed.  Try repeating the earlier exercise for them – squeeze them as you breathe in, then relax them as you breathe out.

Keep on concentrating on your breathing.

When you feel ready, try to relax your mind.  Some people like to focus on an image of something or somewhere that they like.  Or, if you feel able to, try just pushing your thoughts out of your head, so that there are no thoughts in there at all.  If any thoughts pop back in, just push them to one side.

Keep on concentrating on your breathing.

Hopefully you will now feel much more relaxed.