First and foremost, we hope you have all been staying healthy physically and mentally. Beyond hand washing, we know that continuing to move the body, deep breaths, eating healthy and drinking plenty of water help your immune system. We’ve seen lots of fun challenges going around the internet lately while most people are stuck at home. There have been push-up challenges (do 10 push ups every day), other daily workout challenges, people getting creative and making dance videos with their families. It’s so awesome to see how people can turn “stuck at home” into a fun and positive experience. If you’ll join us, we would like to invite you to a daily challenge of a deep breath mediation.
For one minute each day practice this breathing meditation:
To start, Get in a comfortable seated position
Take a deep breath in and release all the air from your lungs as a “cleansing breath”
Next, inhale while counting to 4
Once you’ve counted to 4, pause and hold the breath in your lungs for 2 counts
Then slowly exhale the air from your lungs for 4 more counts
Repeat.
So it should go like this… inhale 1..2..3..4 pause 1..2 exhale 1..2..3..4 and repeat. You can time yourself for a minute (or longer) or really however long you can do it. If you have the capacity to inhale for a longer count, go for it. Everyone will be able to do this a little differently. What matters is just taking the time to pause everything and get some valuable deep breaths in. Get those lungs working! Our best tip is making this a habit that compliments another part of your routine (before you get out of bed in the morning, while you wait for your coffee to brew, while you wash dishes, while you wait for the water to heat up for your shower, etc.) The idea is to add it seamlessly into your day and not make it feel like a chore so that it sticks!
Whatever you’re capable of doing, we encourage you to do something that keeps you smiling. Whether it’s being creative, reading something funny, getting your blood pumping, or finding an opportunity to have a quiet moment with a book or podcast - give yourself that much needed self care!
This guided meditation brought to you by Christine Tustin, a dedicated yogi practicing for 10 years, yoga teacher for 5 years, RYS 300 hour YTT certified, Real Balance Wellness and Health Coach Certified.
